By the time Arsenal‘s potentially pivotal Premier League title clash with Manchester City gets under way Bukayo Saka will have gone almost three weeks without a game. Assuming he is fit enough to play in it, that is.
The 22-year-old’s last contribution on a football pitch was an important one, a successful penalty fired emphatically into the corner to give Arsenal a 2-1 shootout lead over Porto in what would end up a 4-2 triumph in the Champions League last-16.
Since then, Saka’s off-field affiliation with Nandos has been more prominent than his on-field abilities. The fast food chain released a limited edition Peri-Peri Saka sauce during the most recent international break, which comes in at a medium on the spice-o-meter if you fancy adding it to your half chicken on your next visit.
Nandos might have hoped that a goal or two for England against Brazil or Belgium might have caused a surge of interest in their new condiment, but unfortunately Saka was unable to feature in either match after withdrawing from Gareth Southgate’s squad.
England confirmed before the first fixture against Brazil that Saka had “reported to St George’s Park with an injury and has been unable to participate in training” and that he would return to his club for “further rehabilitation” ahead of Sunday’s showdown at the Etihad.
Saka’s durability is one his great strengths. Over the past three seasons, he has started 100 of Arsenal’s 104 Premier League games and come on as a substitute in three others.
Incidentally, the only match he has missed completely in that period was against City in October when Arsenal won 1-0 thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected match-winner.
Mikel Arteta will no doubt be hoping to pick him from the start once more with league leaders Arsenal just one point clear of City heading into the final 10 matches.
Will Bukayo Saka be fit to face Man City?
It’s the million-dollar question that as of yet does not have a definitive answer.
The fact that Saka’s injury has been described as “minor” will give Arsenal fans hope that his removal from the England squad was merely a precaution ahead of what is shaping up to be a gruelling April for Arteta’s squad.
The Gunners will have a minimum of eight fixtures next month – that’s one every four days – and could have nine in total should they beat Bayern Munich over two legs to progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
Saka’s speedy recovery from previous injuries could provide further cause for optimism. The winger missed England’s October internationals against Australia and Italy due to a hamstring strain but was fit enough to start and play the full 90 minutes of Arsenal’s first league match after the break against Chelsea, a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
According to Transfermarkt.com, Saka has missed only 12 matches for club and country in a professional career which spans five years.
Should you sell Saka in FPL?
Saka is the second most popular player in Fantasy Premier League behind Erling Haaland with an overall ownership of 61.5 per cent, but his injury issues appear to have spooked some managers. At the time of writing, Saka is the eighth-most sold player ahead of the Gameweek 30 deadline.
Arsenal’s tricky encounter at the Etihad may have further encouraged FPL bosses to move Saka on, particularly given there are a plethora of appealing midfielders to target elsewhere. However that decision could easily backfire given his pedigree and upcoming schedule.
Saka is the second-highest scoring player in FPL this season having provided 13 goals and 10 assists in 27 appearances and is a standout captaincy option in Gameweek 31 when Arsenal host Luton.
Unless Arteta officially rules Saka out of contention this weekend – a prospect that seems slim given the Arsenal boss tends not to give much away in his press conferences – it is not worth transferring him out when you’re going to want to bring him straight back in again.
If he is a confirmed absentee, Son Heung-min (£9.1) Anthony Gordon (£6m) and Cole Palmer (£5.8m) look to be the pick of the alternatives to snap up given their form and fixtures.