Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has described his recent spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury as a mentally refreshing break, despite its physical and emotional challenges.
The 23-year-old made his return to action last week by scoring in the Gunners’ win over Fulham and featured for 45 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Everton over the weekend.
Saka, who is of Nigerian descent, had been out of action for over three months — a 101-day absence — following surgery on the injury.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, he reflected positively on the layoff.
“I think mentally it was really good for me.” Saka said of the enforced break.
“Obviously it was really tough for me initially to find out the extent of my injury and that I was going to have surgery but once it was done and successful I was just focused on coming back stronger.
“The past five years I’ve been playing game after game so it was the first proper break I’ve had. It was really good for me. I got to do a lot of things that I don’t normally do.
“It’s really nice to be back and I feel fresh mentally.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Saka is now in a better condition and is likely to start against Madrid, as the Gunners prepare to face the reigning champions, who have won the European Cup a record 15 times.
Saka, who enters the final two years of his contract this summer, dismissed speculation about his future.
“I want to win and I want to win wearing this badge so I think it’s pretty clear,” he said.
“The fans know how much I love them and you saw on Tuesday I think they loved me back so it’s a good relationship and I’m really happy to be here. I’m just focused on winning.”
The quarter-final appearance is only Arsenal’s second in the last 15 years, and Arteta rotated heavily against Everton to preserve key players — including Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey, and Jurrien Timber — for the high-stakes clash on Tuesday.
