Arsenal star Bukayo Saka reveals the two things he did during his injury lay-off which helped his recovery

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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka endured the first serious injury of his career during the 2024/25 season.

After a blistering start to the season, Saka tore his hamstring away at Crystal Palace mid-way through December.

The winger spent over three months on the sidelines, with this period coinciding with Arsenal’s form dipping significantly.

When he finally returned to action, the Gunners were out of the Premier League title race, although their talisman did help lead them to a first Champions League semi-final since 2009.

• READ MORE: Every Arsenal contract expiry date and players set for 2026 summer exit

What Bukayo Saka did during his injury lay-off

Saka was met with the warmest of receptions when he ran onto the pitch during Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Fulham at the Emirates at the start of April.

The England international hadn’t played for over 100 days, and the Gunners supporters were keen to show their admiration for the Hale End graduate.

Saka netted the winner in the clash with Fulham, nodding home at the back post following neat work from Gabriel Martinelli, producing one of the most euphoric Emirates Stadium moments of the season.

Enjoying this moment would’ve been a huge relief for the player himself, who spent three gruelling months in fear at home whilst he recovered.

“Sometimes I can think: ‘Oh, am I going to come back in the best shape?'” Saka told the Standard.

“Or, in the past: ‘What could I have done to prevent injury?’

“It was horrible. You start to think: ‘Am I going to be the same as players who came back from this injury and weren’t the same.”

However, Saka managed to mitigate his fears by doing two things during his rehabilitation period: getting a puppy and reading a book given to him by one of Mikel Arteta’s assistant coaches.

“I got the dog while I was still playing, but I got injured and he came while I was injured,” said Saka.

“It was a bit tough at first because he’s a puppy and I couldn’t really get after him. It was a good experience. It was funny.”

The book he read was ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckart Tolle, which Saka felt displayed a relevant message to the situation he was in.

“It’s about not thinking about the past, not thinking about the future. Just being in the moment and always asking yourself – what’s necessary right now?

“I was not happy with last season, how it went, how it ended. But the only thing I can do now is look forward and try and be the best version of myself and help my team-mates be the same.”

Bukayo Saka’s 2024/25 statistics show how much Arsenal missed him

Saka was on course for his most productive season before his injury, and still managed to end the campaign with an impressive 12 goals and 13 assists across all competitions.

However, the surface level statistics only tell part of the story, with the underlying numbers revealing a lot more about how important he is to Arteta’s team.

Amassing 0.76 expected goals and assists per 90, Saka’s exceptional goal contribution numbers are no fluke, and show that he’s by far the most dangerous Arsenal player in the final third.

However, it’s not just his threat in forward areas that makes him so pivotal, with his ability to carry the ball up the pitch becoming a key component of Arsenal’s ball progression in recent years.

For Arsenal to win something significant next season, they’ll need their best player to be fit and firing for the entire duration.