
It took a photo of Bukayo Saka to send the Arsenal fan base in a frenzy.
It came last week and let Saka smile on the training fields of London Colney, accompanied by the caption 'Hello Again'.
More than half a million likes on Instagram later, it is a small reflection of how important the winger is for an Arsenal team that still has two months to save their season.
“Bukayo is ready to go,” said an enthusiastic Mikel Arteta yesterday.
Could he start against Fulham on Tuesday? 'Yes.'
Arteta added: 'It is again a huge weapon that we have with him. We know the impact he has had on the team and how important his role and his contribution to our success is. So great to have it back, of course. '
Behind the scenes, the return of Saka is delighted by the club after four months. You can see and feel so much on the London Colney basis.
Due to the seriousness of the hamstring injury he suffered in Selhurst Park in December, a return was the most ideal scenario for the Gunners at the beginning of April; Sooner would have been a risk for the body of the player.
Saka's Instagram -Post Last Friday was not his first full training session with the team, after he had undergone a series of sessions earlier this month. But now he is completely back.
Achieving this is proof of a successful operation, happiness and a tailor -made program that the English man has slowly accelerated to match fitness.
The injury of the 23-year-old coincided with a serious slump that hoped for the title of Arsenal's League title. When they won 5-1 in Crystal Palace on the day he was injured, they were three points behind leaders Liverpool.
Now they follow with 12 points and they were beaten from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the period that Saka misses. There has only been one competition -the defeat, at home at West Ham, but harmful draws against Brighton, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest and Manchester United have paid on title loop.
It all started in Selhurst Park on December 21, Saka had left the ground on crutches and spent the following days at home with limited mobility. He underwent an operation on December 29 to start the long way back to football and then estimated at 12 weeks.
Saka went on holiday abroad at the end of January after a lot of encouragement from Arteta to leave and recover. He had briefly returned to the light fitness work, so that he soon performed that off-the-pack in a team environment with the flight from Arsenal to Dubai on 6 February for a hot weather camp in the middle of the season.
It was here that he was depicted on a training bike, giving the audience an indication that his return would not be far away, along with the long scar on the back of his right leg.
Apart from his recovery progression, Saka's involvement in the team has also been a focus. Despite the fact that it is only 23, the winger has a strong influence, an aspect that Arteta wanted to retain.
Mail Sport understands that he has attended every home game since Arsenal's FA Cup third round defeat against Manchester United on January 12, as well as the 5-0 victory of the women's team over Rivals Tottenham on February 16.
He was home before and after the kick -off in Emirates dressing room and was in the stands during the games. Arteta has also ensured that he is present everywhere in team meetings.
Those close to the wing player say that the time away from the field has given him a renewed hunger and realization of how much he loves his work. This period of reflection has been a rarity for a player who has played in, week out for the past four seasons.
His return comes at a crucial time. Arsenal scraped through a period without Saka, Havertz, Martinelli and others in the front line, but the Mikel Merino experiment in front was surprisingly effective at the moment, but not enough for what is to come.
A two -legged quarter -final draw against Real Madrid is the seismic obstacle in Europe, but the competition cannot be overlooked either.
All Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle are desperately looking for a Champions League place; Any persistent slip-up between now and 25 May and the 11 points that separate second and sixth places can be rather slim.
The combination of the wing player of 22 goals and assists in 24 performances in all competitions is still most of every Arsenal player this season, despite missing half of it. Kai Havertz (19), who is out for the season with a hamstring injury, is in second place.
His return also enables Arsenal's Breakout star Ethan Nwaneri to return to his favorite position of midfield attacks, and Gabriel Martinelli to the left wing, both have the place for Saka on the right. Leandro Trossard would therefore be able to offer a more conventional center forward option for the Merino plaster plaster.
So for now there is a buoyancy around Arsenal because of the return of Saka. Although caution must also be observed.
Burnout can very well crawl around the corner if his minutes are not carefully managed.
At a young age he already made 186 league matches for the Gunners, together with 43 English caps. As seen by the impact that his absence has had on the Arsenal team, Saka cannot be used.
There is a potential problem of burnout. It is a matter that has been prominent for some time, even before this most recent injury.
When this is suitable this season, Saka started with each game bar two Carabao Cup matches, road to Preston (when he came after 62 minutes) and at home to Palace (a 70th minute replacement).
The appearance in Preston was despite the fact that the winger started three days earlier in a Crunch League collision against Liverpool, which ended 2-2. Three days after the victory of the League Cup, he started in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle in St James' Park.
In the Carabao Cup third round 5-1 win over Bolton, Saka started in a team with four Academy players-under the 16-year-old Jack Porter in Doel.
He is demonstrably overwhelmed. Currently, the impact of this cannot be seen in terms of performance.
But in the coming years, with the increasing workload of players in this modern times, the winger could be burned out at the age of 30 if his workload is not managed more carefully.
For now, however, Saka is full to go.
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