Bukayo Saka told to follow Harry Kane example amid slump in Arsenal form upon return from injuries in 2025

A fresh hamstring setback during the 5-0 demolition of Leeds in August ruled Saka out of clashes against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Athletic Club. Now back on the pitch once more, the 23-year-old has struggled to hit the turbocharged form that made him Arsenal’s most reliable match-winner.

Premier League injury specialist Ben Dinnery has moved to ease fears about Saka’s form, explaining that his comeback is a gradual process rather than an instant fix.

In an interview withEsports Bets, he said: "With Bukayo Saka, he had that big hamstring injury last season and he’s come back into the fold this season and picked up a couple more niggles. I feel like he needs a bit more fluidity to get that match fitness and sharpness back. I wouldn’t be that quick to say that he’s looking a shade of his former self, but the difficulty is that he’s coming back into the forefold and hasn’t had a lot of first team minutes, so it may take him some more time to get back into the flow and intensity of things."

To underline his point, Dinnery pointed to Harry Kane’s remarkable recovery from his own career-threatening hamstring tear in 2020. The then-Tottenham striker snapped his hamstring against Southampton, sparking fears his best days might be behind him. Instead, Kane came back stronger, breaking records and rewriting the narrative after a 2023 switch to Bayern Munich.

"There’s nothing to suggest that Saka won’t get back to those pre-injury levels; there’s a lot of examples of players who have sustained hamstring injuries and returned to even better levels – Harry Kane is a great example of that," Dinnery argued. "He definitely needs a few weeks to get back to full fitness – and Noni Madueke’s injury means he’ll likely be playing week in, week out, but I wouldn’t be concerned with Saka’s current state at this moment in time."

Arsenal’s thrilling 2-1 win over Newcastle at the weekend has given them a lift, but the challenges don’t stop coming. On Wednesday night, the Gunners welcome Olympiacos to the Emirates in a Champions League showdown, before returning to domestic duty with a London derby against West Ham on October 4. For Saka, these fixtures offer the perfect platform to silence the doubters and prove he can still be Arsenal’s game-changer, even while finding his rhythm.