"I was struggling" - Bukayo Saka provides injury update ahead of Bayern showdown

The 22-year-old has been plagued by niggles over the past couple of weeks, firstly having to withdraw from the England squad for March's fixtures due to an issue that he had been nursing before arriving at the camp.

An extended recuperation period did Saka the world of good as he returned to the first XI against Manchester City last Sunday, but he failed to hit top gear and trudged off the field with a physio towards the end of the match.

A late setback on that fatigue-related issue forced Saka to miss the midweek win over Luton Town, but once again, the England international made a quick recovery to reprise his regular right-wing role against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

The Hale End graduate started and scored from the penalty spot in that 3-0 success, which took Arsenal to the top of the table over Liverpool and moved him onto 14 Premier League goals for the 2023-24 campaign, as well as 30 contributions in all tournaments.

Saka was withdrawn just after the hour mark at the Amex Stadium, raising slight concerns about his fitness for Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg with Bayern Munich, and while he admitted that his body was failing him towards the end, he allayed fears of another layoff.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Saka said: «I was struggling, but as long as I have two legs I will give everything — I want to be on the pitch.»

Arteta also affirmed that the 22-year-old was «fine» in his post-match press conference and talked