Mikel Arteta told tough decision is imminent as Arsenal eye Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli returns | OneFootball

Arsenal hope to have Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back for a potential Champions League quarter-final tie

Wayne Rooney believes Mikel Arteta will soon have a tough team selection decision to make

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Wayne Rooney has warned Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli that it may not be easy to reclaim a place in the Arsenal team.

Both Saka and Martinelli are on the comeback trail for the Gunners, though neither is expected to return from injury until after the international break.

Without Saka and Martinelli, Arsenal produced a clinical performance in their 7-1 thrashing of PSV to put one foot in the Champions League quarter-final.

Among the goalscorers in Eindhoven was youngster Ethan Nwaneri, who has seen his game time increase in the absence of the aforementioned pair.

Barring a miracle in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium next week, Arsenal will surely face either one of Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final which take in early April.

That is around about the time Saka and Martinelli could be back for the north London outfit. However, Rooney believes the likes of Nwaneri have done enough to ensure Mikel Arteta has a tough decision to make.

"They've got to get back into the team,” Rooney said on Amazon Prime. "The young lads have come into the team and they've been fantastic and it's all about momentum.

"When you have and injury and you're out for a long period of time, you need to work your way back into the team.

"Of course they are top players and they'll have a big chance of getting back into the team, but if these lads keep doing what they're doing and keep shining then it's not going to be as easy as people think."