Arsenal 23yo informed he’s obliged to go on holiday | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has told Bukayo Saka that he’s obliged to go on holiday, despite the winger’s clear desire to remain around the Arsenal squad at the moment.

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Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been out of action for almost a month now, after picking up a hamstring injury on December 21st against Crystal Palace.

The 23-year-old has had surgery since then, and he’s not expected back until March. As it stands, he’s still getting around on crutches, so a comeback certainly isn’t close.

Part of the reason we know so much about Saka’s status is because he’s still with the team so often. He was in attendance for Wednesday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur, and Jordan Davies of The S*n suggests he’s expected to be there again for Saturday’s match against Aston Villa.

Yet Mikel Arteta told a press conference on Friday that the player needs to take some time away.

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

“He needs to,” Arteta said. “He is obligated to go. With his girlfriend or his family, he can choose. Or on his own.

“But he needs to get away for a few days and refresh. He can still do a lot of things with his rehab because it is the perfect stage. I think it will make him really better.

“He is [around the squad], and he has been every single day there [at the training ground]. There is a moment, especially when we are going to be away for a few days that he needs to do that. That is very important for him as well. We need to look after our players.

“Bukayo hasn’t had any time off for the past two seasons, so it’s a moment where maybe he can have a break as well, in other parts of his life, be closer to his family – great.”

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

As Arteta alludes to, Saka’s presence around the squad has been somewhat aided by the fact that Arsenal haven’t had many long-distance trips lately.

Almost every game is at home at the moment, but that will change at the end of this month with trips to Wolverhampton, Girona, and Newcastle.

After that, there’s been some talk of a mid-season trip to Dubai, but that will depend on how Arsenal perform in their final two League Phase games in the Champions League.

So perhaps right now isn’t quite the time for Saka’s holiday, but a few opportunities are on the horizon.