Mikel Arteta opens up on Bukayo Saka’s chances of playing against Fulham Saturday | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, speaking ahead of the Premier League game against Fulham tomorrow, has delivered a positive update on star player Bukayo Saka.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are currently second in the Premier League, though they trail leaders Liverpool by 12 points. On the European stage, they have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, where they face a massive test against Real Madrid. If they can get past the Spanish giants, a semi-final showdown with either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa awaits.

In a boost for Arsenal,  Saka has returned to training for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in December.

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The winger required surgery but is now focused on regaining full fitness ahead of the Fulham match – where he could feature.

Arteta said at a press conference on Monday, in words picked up by BBC Sport: “Bukayo Saka is ready to go. All the careful things are already done. Now it’s about putting him in the grass at the right moment. But he’s pushing because he really wants to.

“We have respected the timeline and we have done everything. He is ready to go.”

One person who is likely to miss the game is Riccardo Calafori.

“Calafiori unfortunately picked up an injury with the national team. Unfortunate but lucky it wasn’t much worse. Hopefully a matter of weeks”. (

Mikel Arteta throws support behind new sporting director of Arsenal, Andrea Berta

Andrea Berta was confirmed as the new sporting director earlier this week (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Arteta also touched on on the appointment of Andrea Berta as the new sporting director.

“It’s a big addition to the club – a team that already has a lot of great people who have been doing such a great job. “It’s now about building that chemistry, so we are all very excited to have him.

“He is a very honest and straightforward person. He has a very clear vision of what he wants to do. he was so willing to join us which is positive. He had many other possibilities but has chosen to come to us. Now it’s about us giving him the support. He has done well for many, many years at the highest level.”