Break good for me, mentally, says Saka

Saka was introduced at half-time against Everton at the weekend, as he builds up his fitness from an injury that kept him out for 101 days.

Saka, 23, scored on his return in Arsenal’s win against Fulham last week before his 45 minutes of football at the weekend.

Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, said Saka would be in a “much better place” to start against Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

“I think mentally it was really good for me.” Saka said of the enforced break.

“Obviously, it was really tough for me initially, to find out the extent of my injury and that I was going to have surgery but once it was done and successful, I was just focused on coming back stronger.

“The past five years, I’ve been playing game after game, so it was the first proper break I’ve had. It was really good for me. I got to do a lot of things that I don’t normally do. It’s really nice to be back and I feel fresh mentally,” he said.

The England international will be into the final two years of his contract this summer, but played down any worries about his future.

“I want to win and I want to win wearing this badge, so I think it’s pretty clear,” he said.

“The fans know how much I love them and you saw on Tuesday, I think they loved me back, so it’s a good relationship and I’m really happy to be here. I’m just focused on winning.” — @BBC sport