Saka hands Arsenal huge injury boost ahead of season-defining Real Madrid clash

Bukayo Saka has been out with a hamstring injury since December 21, but the Arsenal star is now finally nearing a return ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid

Bukayo Saka has given Arsenal a huge fitness boost ahead of their showdown with Real Madrid. Arsenal star Saka posted a picture of himself back in training with a huge smile on his face on social media with the caption: “Hello again” to show he is on the way to returning to the first team.

Saka has been out since December, when he underwent surgery on his hamstring, but has worked hard to get back in time for the Champions League quarter-finals. Arsenal face Real Madrid at the Emirates on April 7 and then the return in Spain on Wednesday, April 15, with Saka eyeing the chance of being available.

As revealed by Mirror Football earlier this month, Saka has been eyeing a place on the bench for the Fulham game on April 1, or Everton four days later, with the hope of then being available to be included in the squad to face Madrid.

Saka has been ramping up his fitness over the international break, while many of his team-mates are away with their countries. He is desperate to return to action, having been out since December 21 and missed 12 Premier League games and 20 matches in total.

However, Arsenal are determined not to rush his return, given the nature of hamstring injuries and the fact that Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli have all been sidelined for significant parts of this season.

Saka contributed nine goals and 13 assists in 24 matches across all competitions before suffering his injury in the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace just before Christmas. Despite sitting on the sidelines for over three months, he remains Arsenal’s top contributor in terms of combined goals and assists.

Mikel Arteta has been guarded when asked for updates on his star player, but gave April as a rough timeline for his return earlier this month. "He's got a good chance [of returning in April]," he said before the win over Chelsea. "He is going to be here [at London Colney], hopefully, more with the ball at his feet than he has had. He's getting closer; he's stepping up and making very good progress."

Arsenal’s chances of winning a first Premier League title since 2003/04 have disappeared while Saka has been on the sidelines, with Liverpool now 12 points clear at the summit. But they remain hopeful of getting past Real Madrid to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2008/09.

With this coming weekend given to the FA Cup, Arsenal will have to wait until Tuesday until their next game against Fulham in the Premier League. They then have a trip to Merseyside to face Everton before the home leg against Real Madrid in north London.