Saka 'ready to go' after long injury lay-off: Arteta

The England forward, 23, who has scored nine goals in all competitions for the club this season, has not featured since Arsenal's 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on December 21. "Bukayo is ready to go," Arteta said on the eve of his team's match against Fulham on Tuesday.

"All the careful things are already done so now it's about putting him on the grass at the right moments. But he's pushing because he really wants to. We have respected the timeframe and we have done everything and we had to hold him back, even. He is ready to go."

Asked whether Saka could start against Fulham at the Emirates, the Arsenal boss replied: "Yeah, yeah." The Spaniard added: "Bukayo is a massive weapon. We know the impact that he has had in the team and how important his role and his contribution are to our success. It's great to have him back."

Arsenal are second in the Premier League, 12 points behind Liverpool with just nine games to go and realistically out of the title race. But they are through to the Champions League quarter-finals and host Real Madrid in the first leg of their tie on April 8.

The return of Saka is a huge boost for Arteta, who has been short of firepower in recent weeks, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus out of action with long-term injuries.