FILE - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says star forward Bukayo Saka is ready to take on Real Madrid in their crucial Champions League quarter-final.
Image: Glyn Kirk/ AFP
Bukayo Saka is "ready to go" for Arsenal after three months out with a hamstring injury, manager Mikel Arteta said on Monday.
The England forward, 23, who has scored nine goals in all competitions for the club this season, has not featured since Arsenal's 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on December 21.
"Bukayo is ready to go," Arteta said on the eve of Tuesday's match against Fulham.
"All the careful things are already done so now it's about putting him on the grass in the right moments. But he's pushing because he really wants to.
"We have respected the timeframe and we have done everything and we had to hold him back, even. He is ready to go."
Asked whether Saka, who had hamstring surgery in December, could start against eighth-place Fulham at the Emirates, the Arsenal boss replied: "Yeah, yeah."
Arteta added: "Bukayo is a massive weapon. We know the impact that he has had in the team and how important his role and his contribution is to our success. It's great to have him back."
Arsenal are second in the Premier League, 12 points behind Liverpool with just nine games to go and realistically out of the title race.
But they are through to the Champions League quarter-finals and host Real Madrid in the first leg of their tie on April 8.
The return of Saka is a huge boost for Arteta, who has been short of firepower in recent weeks, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus out of action with long-term injuries.
The Spaniard said Saka's return would be a huge lift for Arsenal.
"It's more the energy that he transmits, that he's missed the thing that he loves the most in his life, which is to be around the team, to play, to train, and to compete at the highest level," he said.
"The fact that he's able to come in the most important part of the season is a massive boost for him and the team as well.
"He hasn't played for three months, but has played for the last 48 months. So three in 48 is a very small percentage."
Arteta said Jurrien Timber is available after a bout of illness but fellow defender Riccardo Calafiori faces a spell on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury on international duty for Italy.
The Arsenal boss spoke in glowing terms about the club's new sporting director Andrea Berta, whose appointment was confirmed on Sunday.
The 53-year-old Italian, who previously worked at Atletico Madrid, succeeds the Gunners' former midfielder Edu in the role.
"We certainly believe that he is someone who is going to impact the club," said Arteta.
"And he's got that experience, he's got this personality as well, this charisma, and... will to win. That is going to be very contagious."
AFP