Arsenal star Bukayo Saka finally made his long-awaited return from injury as he scored against Fulham in a huge London derby clash.
The winger has been a key part of the team at the Emirates Stadium, which has only been underlined further by his recent absence.
Saka’s torn hamstring injury kept him out of action for over three months, leaving Arsenal scrambling about for a way to replace his influence and impact.
After such a long wait, the Hale End academy graduate returned with a bang.
Making an appearance from the bench, Saka scored against Fulham after just six minutes on the pitch, helping them win the match.
While plenty will see the end result of the winger returning to action, there are those months of unseen actions that Mikel Arteta has looked to praise.
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Mikel Arteta credits Sam Wilson after Bukayo Saka’s goal celebration on Arsenal injury return
Bukayo Saka’s return to action at the Emirates Stadium came in a dream scenario as he managed to score to help Arsenal land a huge win.
After nodding in the winner, Saka ran over to Arsenal fitness coach Sam Wilson, acknowledging him as part of his comeback.
Wilson, like plenty of the Arsenal medical and coaching staff, perhaps goes unseen when it comes to their impact on the players.
However, Mikel Arteta has sung his praises as the Arsenal boss said: “Listen, as a manager, I think, and being part of the staff, we all love this kind of recognition and gestures because it goes beyond the professional side of it and there is a connection there that is so necessary and to be able to appreciate as well the amount of work and stress as well and responsibility that they have to go through because they will be like this.
“I hope everything goes well and the work that was done is going to work. So I was very pleased with that because I take it, there’s probably a lot of times where it’s just those two alone at the training ground together when maybe he’s getting back on the grass and kind of getting back closer to fitness.
“And that’s why the emotional part is so important because you can do all the physical work and all the conditioning, but you need to leave the players.
“Four months is a long time, and there are moments that we travel and we go to play Champions League, and you are there for two days, you are on your own in the training ground, and it’s not easy.”
While the medical team and coaching staff can often go under the radar, their impact has certainly been seen there, not least with the celebrations alongside Sam Wilson.
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Who is Arsenal fitness coach Sam Wilson?
Sam Wilson is a fitness coach who works for the Arsenal men’s first-team, working on building players back to fitness and maintaining those levels.
The 33-year-old started off in a sports science role at Stevenage in 2012, moving from the youth team setup to the first-team.
Wilson then moved to Arsenal in 2014, starting off with the under-18s, then moving to the under-21s before the senior squad in 2019.
He has worked under coaches such as Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Freddie Ljungberg as part of their backroom staff.
Wilson has been credited with helping the players perform on the pitch, with the latest impact on Bukayo Saka very clear.
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