Arsenal hope Saka will be fit to face West Ham

Arsenal have been handed a major boost with Bukayo Saka expected to be fit to face West Ham this weekend, according to the Evening Standard.

Saka limped off during Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United last weekend after picking up a knock midway through the second half at the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta confirmed after the game that the 20-year-old had aggravated an injury that he was carrying heading into the match, so it was feared Saka could be facing a spell on the sidelines.

However, the Evening Standard claims that Arsenal’s decision to substitute Saka against United was precautionary and they are confident the England international will be available to face West Ham.

It’s reported that the attacker has trained with the rest of the first team squad this week so unless he suffers any set-back over the next 48 hours, Saka is expected to be in contention against the Hammers on Sunday afternoon.

The news will come as a major boost to Arteta as Saka has been in terrific form in recent weeks, and the Gunners boss needs his best players available during what is going to be a tense end to the season.

Arsenal reclaimed fourth place in the table after beating United last Saturday with Tottenham now two points adrift in fifth after being held to a 0-0 draw at Brighton later in the day. The Gunners will want to cement their position in the top four by securing a win at West Ham this weekend, so Saka’s likely availability will be welcome news for Arteta.

Elsewhere, Takehiro Tomiyasu could come back into contention for a starting spot on Sunday after making his long-awaited comeback with a late substitute appearance against Man Utd last weekend.

The Japan international hasn’t started a game for Arsenal since January due to calf injuries but he should feature against West Ham. Although Arteta may continue to ease him back into action with another cameo off the bench.

Thomas Partey will be unavailable this weekend as he continues to work his way back from a thigh injury. The midfielder has been seen running on a treadmill this week sparking hopes he could return before the end of the season.

The Evening Standard says Partey is doing everything he can to play again this campaign but it remains to be seen whether he’ll recover in time to feature before the season is out.