The 24-year-old has struggled for fitness this season, with this his third period on the sidelines this year. While none of his injury woes have been particularly serious, they have prevented Saka from building up any sort of momentum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have given him some time because there was a moment that he was struggling to sustain the performances because he wasn\u2019t comfortable at all and we\u2019ve done that so he had the right treatment, the right space,\u201d Arteta explained before the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe had some time as well for himself and now it\u2019s the most important part of the season and he\u2019s back with us.<\/p>\n
Arteta: Returning Players Crucial to Title Hopes![\"Mikel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kq26s68wmsypkr3avb.jpg\" "\\"Mikel")
<\/p>\n
Mikel Arteta knows his squad needs a boost. | Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Watching a fatigued, physically bruised squad fall into a slump at the end of the season is nothing new to Arteta, and it is no coincidence that Arsenal\u2019s title hopes have once again faded during Saka\u2019s latest spell on the sidelines.<\/p>\n
Arsenal\u2019s fitness woes are slowly fading, however. Saka returns to the squad alongside left back Riccardo Calafiori, while captain Martin \u00d8degaard made a surprise return to the starting lineup against City last time out.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing available is not enough,\u201d Arteta reflected. \u201cBeing available with your best version is what we need in this stage of the season. But at least they are with us. They certainly make us stronger. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe miss them. And now all the players as well, they\u2019ve just come back as well. They\u2019re going to have more games, more minutes, and hopefully we will see a performance as well.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Saka] was in great spirits today. You can see that the sun is shining and that he\u2019s back with the team because he had a different energy. He\u2019s been through a tough period. We certainly missed him, and he\u2019s back with us now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The returns of Saka and Calafiori leave Arsenal without just two senior players. Dutch defender Jurri\u00ebn Timber remains unavailable, while versatile midfielder Mikel Merino is a long-term absentee for the Gunners.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google