Arsenal hope to have Bukayo Saka available when they face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this weekend.
The 23-year-old was withdrawn in the second half of the Gunners’ 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bride before the international break with a leg injury.
He subsequently missed the international break, along with eight other England stars.
But ahead of the Gunners welcoming Forest this weekend, he’s back in training.
Here, talkSPORT.com looks at the latest on Saka.
Is Bukayo Saka fit to face Nottingham Forest?
Mikel Arteta has indicated that Saka should be available to be involved against high-flying Forest.
This didn’t seem like it would be possible after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea.
The winger was taken off after 81 minutes with a leg issue, and Arteta said after the game that, ‘it didn’t look good’.
Saka had been called up for Lee Carsley‘s final matches as England’s interim manager against the Republic of Ireland and Greece in the Nations League.
However, he pulled out due to injury.
Noni Madueke replaced him and turned in two excellent performances, which led to some speculation from talkSPORT pundits that Saka has some competition on the right wing.
England also performed excellently, winning 3-0 and 5-0 to top their Nations League group.
However, unlike some of the players, Saka didn’t withdraw as a precaution, he was physically unable to play.
But Saka finally returned to training on Friday, and Arteta confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he was looking good.
When asked about Saka and Declan Rice, he said: “They have had their first partial session today, so very good as well.”
However, later in the press conference, he all but confirmed that Saka was fit.
When asked about Ben White’s setback, he tried to be positive and said that ‘Bukayo is back’.
Saka has started every Premier League game this season, bar the 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth, which he missed with a leg injury.
It’s unclear if this problem that kept him out of the November international break was the same issue or something different.
But what has been clear to all is that Saka has been the Gunners‘ most important player this season.
In Martin Odegaard‘s absence, he has stepped up, providing ten goal contributions.
After a run of four winless Premier League games, the Gunners need to claim three points here, so having Saka fit is a huge boost.
Couple that with the return of Odegaard, and Arteta’s attacking options are starting to look a lot more healthy.