Bukayo Saka may have been sent back to Arsenal from international duty, but there is positive news around the possibility of him featuring against Manchester City on Sunday
Bukayo Saka is available to play against Man City(Image credit: Getty Images)
Bukayo Saka pulled out of the England squad before their recent friendlies, but he is back in contention to play in Arsenal’s Premier League match with Manchester City this weekend.
The Three Lions issued a statement that Saka had “reported to St George's Park with an injury and was unable to participate in training”.
The winger then returned to the Gunners’ HQ for treatment, but the Mirrorstates that it was just a minor muscle issue and his premature departure from the England camp was only a “precaution”.
Pep Guardiola's Man City will play Arsenal this weekend (Image credit: PA Images)
Throughout this season, Mikel Arteta has placed significant trust in the 22-year-old, who has played in nearly every Premier League match except one.
Saka is among the most fouled players in the game and club legend Bob Wilson said that his future will be shortened unless referees do more to protect him.
Arsenal officially complained to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in January that Saka was not being adequately protected by officials.
Bukayo Saka had to return from international duty (Image credit: Getty Images)
And Wilson believes that the body should take note and do more to help Saka. “What drives me demented is we have one of the best young players and, if we aren’t careful, football will lose him by the time he is 24 or 25 because Bukayo Saka will have been kicked out of the game,’ Wilson said to The Telegraph.
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“Referees don’t seem to see or understand it. There are always a minimum of two players within five yards of Saka and often a third. If they can’t stop him, they kick him.
“People say, ‘What do you mean? That’s too dramatic’ – I say there has not been a more kicked player in the Premier League than Bukayo Saka.
“If he is facing in an attacking position, and he is taking them on, that is the time I worry. I really worry for Bukayo. I see Saka up with the greats… if he is not kicked out of the game.”
Jacque Talbot is a freelance football journalist who predominantly specialises in transfer stories and exclusives. He began his career in 2016 covering the world-renowned Sandbach United, of North West Counties fame, before earning a spot on the sports desks of national papers, where he bounced between several outlets such as Sportbible, the Express, Mirror, and Daily Star. An NCTJ graduate of the News Associates who swapped investigative journalism in the Costa del Sol for football reporting in Northern England, he first wrote for FourFourTwo in December 2023.
