"That’s normal in elite sports" - Mikel Arteta provides positive update on Arsenal star amid serious injury concerns 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that star winger Bukayo Saka will feature in their upcoming clash against Everton. Speaking to the club's website, the Spaniard dismissed claims of a lingering injury and said that Saka was training well ahead of the fixture.

Arteta said:

“He’s fine. He trained normally today so nothing to report there."

“Every player has pains or issues. That’s normal in elite sports, but nothing to worry about.”

This comes after a report from MailSport claiming that Saka played last season through a nagging Achilles injury. The 22-year-old was named on the bench for England's clash against Scotland after featuring in a physical game against Ukraine. There were concerns that he had aggravated the issue from the previous campaign. Arteta, however, put those concerns to bed.

Arsenal are set to face Sean Dyche's Everton side following the international break. They have had a good start to their season, picking up three wins in four games. Saka himself has had a decent return, bagging two goals and one assist in the league.

Mikel Arteta hails forward for impact at Arsenal

Arteta was full of praise for Gabriel Jesus.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta claimed that the arrival of Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City last season was a key factor in their strong campaign. The 26-year-old joined the Gunners for a fee of £45 million.

He enjoyed a great start to life at the Emirates but a knee injury during the World Cup meant he had to spend an extended period of time on the sidelines. Pep Guardiola's side eventually overtook the Gunners to lift the Premier League trophy.

Arteta had this to say about Jesus ahead of Arsenal's game against Everton:

"If you look at the last six or seven months for Gabi, with the long-term injury he had and the amount of football that he missed, then he came back in preseason and he started to get his rhythm again -- and then he had another injury, another surgery."

Arteta continued:

"So we have to build him up. He is a tremendous player, a really important player for us. He changed our world last season. You could all see that. He is going to be a really important player for us."

He added:

"I think he brought a different energy, a different belief, a different threat, a different fear to opponents. And he did it in a really natural way. He contributed hugely to the step that we had last season."

Jesus suffered another injury towards the end of the pre-season. However, he was fit enough to come off the bench and bag a late goal against Manchester United last time out.