Bukayo Saka drops major injury recovery update on social media

Bukayo Saka is back in Arsenal training, folks. Hallelujah!

The Gunners have been without their frontline attacker since Christmas after he suffered a torn hamstring at Crystal Palace, which required surgery. It's long been predicted that Saka would return at the start of April after more than three months out, and Saka's Instagram update suggests he's on track.

The winger was on course for a potentially record-breaking season as he recorded ten assists in his first 16 Premier League outings. Thierry Henry's single-season record of 20 from 2002/03 has only been matched once - by Kevin De Bruyne in 2019/20.

Saka had slowed down on the assists front before his injury, but he still ranks joint-second in the division with 19 chances created despite his lengthy absence. Arsenal have understandably struggled to fill his void down the right flank, although we have enjoyed Ethan Nwaneri's emergence, and the club look set to miss out on the league title by a considerable margin. They're currently 12 points behind Liverpool with nine games to go, but European glory is still on the table.

Bukayo Saka is back in Arsenal training after hamstring surgery

We were all meandering through the conclusion of the international break, waiting for club football's return at the weekend, when Saka dropped the most delightful Instagram post.

"Hello again," he wrote as he posted a picture of himself back on the grass in full Arsenal gear with a big smile on his face. He's back!

It doesn't take a genius to work out just how much Saka's been missed in north London. We've seen the winger develop into an inevitable force down the right flank, and his absence thrust a Gunners attack that was already faltering on occasion into a state of consternation. There was no individual brilliance to fall back on.

Saka's injury was later exacerbated by setbacks to Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli, and domestic results started to suffer. We were knocked out of both domestic cups and watched Liverpool take full control of the title race while Saka evolved from a crutch-user to limper to a sideline presence.

Arsenal can close the gap to nine when they face Fulham at the Emirates next week, and it looks like Saka will play a part ahead of the all-important Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.

While this is all very exciting, we must remember what Saka has endured. He's coming off hamstring surgery, and although his return will serve as a huge boost, we cannot expect the winger to hit the ground running right away. This is going to take some time.

Nevertheless, I cannot wait to see him back in red and white.

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