Bukayo Saka is finally nearing a return to action for Arsenal after being out for over three months.
The winger went down clutching his hamstring away at Crystal Palace in mid December, and underwent surgery following the diagnosis.
The Gunners have struggled without their star man, losing pace with Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
However, Mikel Arteta’s side did secure their place in the Champions League quarter-final, where Real Madrid await them.
Saka is expected to be fit for both ties against Los Blancos, with his re-integration into the squad likely being geared around maximising his ability to perform in these two matches.
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How Mikel Arteta might reintegrate Bukayo Saka
Arsenal host Fulham on Tuesday in their first fixture post-international break, and there are suggestions that the team’s talisman could make the bench for the clash.
However, Saka only returned to full training earlier this week, meaning it’s unlikely that he’ll start or play a significant role against the Cottagers, after such a lengthy lay-off.
Arteta will probably take a conservative approach to reintegrating the Englishman, with Everton away the following weekend where he could manage more than a limited cameo.
After this, Arsenal play Real Madrid at the Emirates, where the Spaniard may roll the dice and throw the wide man in from the start.
To avoid overplaying him early on, a rest at home to Brentford may ensue, keeping Saka wrapped in cotton wool ahead of the second leg in the Spanish capital.
From there on in, it’ll be up to the medical team as to how much Arteta fully unleashes the Hale End graduate every three days.
How Mikel Arteta might use Bukayo Saka tactically
What will perhaps be more interesting to see is how the Arsenal boss uses Saka tactically when he returns and whether he’ll attempt to fit the 23-year-old and Ethan Nwaneri into the same team.
Nwaneri has deputised Saka excellently in the latter’s absence, and Gunners fans will be desperate to see the two combine.
One way of doing this would be to move Nwaneri into another role, which could be as a false nine.
He may not possess the physical attributes that Mikel Merino offers as a striker, but he offers much more in terms of getting good shots off and stretching the opposition back-line.
With Nwaneri, Saka and Martin Odegaard all operating in a similar area on the right-hand side, the Gunners could certainly reignite what had become a stale attack.
Arteta may instead opt to deploy either Saka or Nwaneri on the left-wing, particularly with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli faltering.
However, the most likely outcome is that Nwaneri shares minutes with Saka, with the trust in the 17-year-old allowing Arteta to carefully reintegrate the starboy.
Tactically, Saka will likely reassume his role of being the focal point and outlet of all Arsenal attacks, with his passing patterns with Odegaard and the right-back likely to make a return.
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