Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has been back around the training ground, Mikel Arteta revealed, following the winger’s injury.
The forward is facing a long spell on the sidelines, following a hamstring tear against Crystal Palace in December.
Saka’s injury required a procedure, with the star looking at a possible return from anywhere between March and May.
There is hope that he can be involved for Arsenal before the end of the season, but for now, he can’t impact proceedings on the pitch.
Saka can, however, still have a say on how things look behind the scenes, as laid out by Mikel Arteta.
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Mikel Arteta explains what Bukayo Saka has been doing during Arsenal injury absence
While Saka is set for a few more months out of action, Arteta has revealed that the star has been back around the Arsenal training ground.
The manager outlined it as a great moment, while also urging him to use the time wisely before he returns to action.
He told the press: “He’s [Saka] been around a lot. It’s great to have him. There’s always a smile on his face.
“He’s going through a period that is unknown for him because he has never been injured for such a long time.
“We have discussed the things we can do together and the things he can do to use the time in the right way to make him a better person, to make sure that he spends the time adequately with the opportunity that he has so that when he comes back he is in the right place.”
It may be something of a boost for both Saka and his teammates that he can be around the place during their training days.
The Hale End academy graduate may well take some tips from club captain Martin Odegaard, who had a similar spell out of action through an ankle injury earlier this season.
Did the football schedule cause Bukayo Saka’s injury?
One of the main questions that has come from the injury to Saka is whether the football schedule played a part in his problem.
The winger has played an incredible amount of minutes for his age, which may put him at further risk of physical injuries.
While some may be able to point to the schedule as a problem, Arteta revealed that he couldn’t pinpoint it as the main issue.
He continued: “The answer is that we don’t know. We don’t know, if he had had one or two less games, whether he would not have got injured. Maybe not, because he has done it in the past.
“Nobody can answer that question. We can have our theories, our feelings, and look at every possible bit of data, but the answer is we don’t know.”
It remains to be seen how the star will recover from the injury, with a long road still ahead in his recovery.
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