Bukayo Saka’s imminent return to action was a hot topic in the second half of Mikel Arteta’s pre-Fulham press conference.
Here’s what the boss had to say about the England international’s recovery from hamstring surgery, his confidence that there will be no long-term repercussions and the knock-on effect it has for Ethan Nwaneri.
On hamstring surgery becoming more frequent, and if he’s confident Saka can be the player he was…
Unfortunately, that is true. It [hamstring surgery] is becoming more recurrent, so that tells you that there is something that is changing and we are obviously analysing that data. It is still quite small but at the end you have to weigh up the risk and reward of having the surgery and we believe that a player that is so explosive, that makes that many actions at high speed and we are not sure in that area whether the muscle, the tendon can sustain that load. It was an easy decision to say, okay, what is the opinion of the specialist? It was 100 per cent that one [surgery]. So in that case, even if it is going to take a little bit longer, we have to go that route.
On whether Saka will have to adapt his game as a result of his surgery and injury…
I don’t think so. If you look at the consistency levels and the amount of games and minutes he’s played, very little changed there. Sometimes these things happen and it happens to the best players, and it doesn’t mean it has to happen again. He needs to be fully aware that obviously everything is increasing, the level, the speed, the time you have to execute is shorter. So you want to do it slower, forget about it because you are not going to be efficient. So you are going to have to be probably faster. So faster is going to be sharper, it is going to be at the maximum speed and you have to train and prepare for that.
On what it’s like in your first game back from a serious injury and whether it could play on Bukayo’s mind…
No, because he has done everything. He has done everything many times already. He needs exposure in the game but all the boxes that he had to tick are there. Those concerns normally are when you are rushing an injury, and it is a three-week injury, and after ten days, you want to put yourself on that pitch and then you are just almost praying. But I think he has been really good in the process, and we have a lot of reassurance that he can do very well now.
On whether Ethan Nwaneri’s role will change with Bukayo returning to the lineup…
Like with the other ones, at the start of the season, he had a situation but he proved to everybody that he was ready and he deserved more minutes. It is about the impact that you have in training and in games when you have the opportunity to play. If someone shows they can impact the game and help us to win football matches, he will be on that pitch.
On Bukayo’s influence on the squad while sidelined…
He has been great, for example, with Ethan and with other players. The support that he has given, the time he has spent with them, giving them advice, being around the team, and how positive he has always been around it. It is good to see a side of a player that has a huge role in the team, where he is not able to be in practice, where he is not able to contribute in games, and how he actually behaves. That is why B[ukayo] is so special. You are expecting a big summer.
On the importance of tying Saka and Saliba down to new deals…
That is [a] very good question, but now I am going to leave all those questions for Andrea [Berta] and make sure that he has his place and his role and he can fulfil it. Hopefully, my influence will be in other aspects.
On whether Bukayo played during the international break…
We played once, but before that, he had six consecutive sessions with the team and it was good. We played that game and he felt completely fine. We have managed to replicate almost every scenario. At the end, you need that – a 60,000 stadium, a different competitive level, a refer,e and to play that game.
On what Arsenal have missed without Bukayo…
Obviously, we talked about it before. There is not a single player in that squad who has produced the numbers of Bukayo in the last three seasons. That’s it. That’s him. We have done it in various ways and we have remained very, very competitive without him and without many other players, and that’s a big credit to how strong the team is, even though some very important individuals are missing.
