Bukayo Saka: Mikel Arteta provides huge injury update on Arsenal star | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that Bukayo Saka will return to competitive training sessions during the international break as he makes his way back to full fitness from a serious hamstring injury.

Saka's recovery is morphing into more than a mild obsession for Arsenal fans. The club's talismanic winger has been sidelined with a torn hamstring since December yet still ranks as the team's most prolific creator this season - in fact, no other player can boast more than half the tally of Saka's ten Premier League assists.

Season-ending injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have exaggerated Saka's absence even further. The Gunners have been forced to line up with defensive midfielder Mikel Merino as a striker for the previous five matches.

However, there is a growing flicker of hope that Saka's return is on the horizon.

Bukayo Saka limped off against Crystal Palace before Christmas / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

"He's going to be here next week. Hopefully with the ball with his feet," Arteta told reporters before the visit of Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. "That will mean he's shooting and running. He's done quite a lot already on the pitch. The next is to integrate more competitive training and see how he copes."

Arteta's injury updates need to be taken with caution. The Arsenal boss stressed that Gabriel Martinelli would - like Saka - be sidelined until April yet welcomed the Brazilian forward back to the fold for last weekend's trip to Old Trafford.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has previously detailed the extraordinary steps Arteta has taken to confuse opponents. "I've seen him tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag, to put the other manager off the scent," the full-back revealed earlier this season.

Arteta has already started plotting for Arsenal Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid next month. The first leg at the Emirates is scheduled for 8 April, putting Saka's involvement in the tie very much in doubt. It remains to be seen if he will be back for the return fixture in Spain on 16 April.