%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has updated the timeline for Bukayo Saka to return from his hamstring injury.
When Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka went down with a hamstring injury in the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace, many where hoping it wasn't too bad.
But it was.
Saka has missed the last eight games after needing surgery on his hamstring as the Gunners lost a big piece of their attacking weaponry, and his absence has been felt.
While the likes of Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus (for a few games at least) and Leandro Trossard all tried their best to help cover the loss of Saka, the Gunners are still short up top and will likely dip into the transfer market in the coming days.
But as Arsenal gears up for its Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates, Arteta states that the timeline for a return for Bukayo hasn't deviated from March.
"No, that’s not going to change," Arteta said via arsenal.com. "It’s within the process and the time that we had, that phase has gone now. He’s doing really well, he’s feeling better day by day, but we have to respect the healing process and then he has a lot of stages to go through in his rehab."
With Saka our for at least the next five to six weeks, the Gunners did get some positive news on the injury front with Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori both returning and available to play.
For Arteta, he described Nwaneri's injury as a big step back.
"Yes it was a big setback because he was getting some consistency and more minutes," Arteta added. "We made him play in a different position and he was doing really well, then suddenly this happens. It’s understandable with the load as well, it goes through the roof immediately and this is what we have to manage."
With the Gunners in a great position to secure progression in the Champions League, they must take care of Zagreb, a team that has only won two of its six games in the tournament, while conceding goals for fun (15), so there could be a chance for Arsenal to really hammer home its advantage.
There will be no Saka for the foreseeable future, but with Calafiori and Nwaneri back, the Gunners will at least get some form of reinforcements to help ease the workload on the squad as the season continues to roll on.