Bukayo Saka has been out of action for nearly two months following his hamstring injury in a 5-1 win against Crystal Palace at the end of December. The Arsenal superstar was on course to have his best season in the Premier League with 15 goal contributions in 16 appearances.
In previous campaigns, Gunners fans started to get concerned over the workload that Mikel Arteta was demanding from their young winger and predicted a serious injury was just around the corner. Despite Saka’s absence, Arsenal haven’t lost a league game in the new year and wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri has found a pathway into the first-team.
As they look to continue their invincible league run in 2025, Arteta confirmed on the 14th February that Saka has returned to light training but remains in the early stages of rehabilitation. The Spaniard also put to bed rumours that the winger had picked up an eight-week setback with his injury, confirming he is still on course for his original return date in early March.
Arsenal’s social media team released pictures of the 23-year-old on their training camp in Dubai, and the Englishman’s return can’t come soon enough for the Gunners who sit seven points off the top of the Premier League.
Under the lights at Selhurst Park, Arsenal cruised to a 5-1 victory against their London rivals. The biggest talking point, however, came in the 24th minute when Bukayo Saka had to be withdrawn with a hamstring injury.
The injury stoppage put a halt to a first-half that got off to a pulsating start with three goals in the opening 15 minutes. Leandro Trossard replaced a limping Saka and Mikel Arteta provided a worrying update for Arsenal fans post-match.
Arteta said:
“It’s not looking good, he’s going to be out for many weeks.”
Hamstring injuries are becoming the norm in the modern game, with the sheer workload being too much to handle for some players. Saka was forced to undergo surgery for the injury he picked up against the Eagles and his recovery time was extended to over two months by manager Mikel Arteta.
His return is predicted to be in early March, and it is still unknown whether Arsenal could keep the winger out until after the international break for extra caution. An England call-up for Saka seems unlikely for their World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
