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Claim: A Facebook page claims that Bukayo Saka has returned to training ahead of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Verdict: Misleading! Available media reports suggest Saka could return to the field after the international break and surgery. However, the image shared alongside the claim has been online since 2023.
Full Text
On Dec. 21, 2024, Arsenal’s star winger Bukayo Saka sustained a hamstring injury during Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace, which has left the England international sidelined for weeks.
Sometime in February, the football ace had shared photographs of himself “stepping up” in rehabilitation.
Amid this situation, a Facebook page, Declan and Saka Arsenal, shared a post claiming that Saka has returned to training ahead of the UEFA Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
“Bukayo Saka is back and training for UCL. Pray for Madrid.” The Facebook handler wrote.
The claim made on Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, was shared alongside the image of the 23-year-old allegedly engaged in a rigorous training session.
As of Friday, March 21, 2025, the post had accumulated over 31,000 likes, 387 comments, and 47 shares.
Moreover, similar claims were shared on Facebook (here, here, here, and here) and X here.
DUBAWA noticed that users on X identified the winger’s picture shared as not recent.
“This isn’t a picture from the latest training,” @haamaaan wrote.
“Fake, this photo,” @attackerfc77 pointed out while @sxmafc warned, “Don’t spread fake news.”
Due to the virality of the claim and comments indicating that the shared picture was not recent, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google keyword search to verify the information and found multiple reports predicting his return since his recovery from surgery.
According to Sky Sports on Sunday, March 16, 2025, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said in an interview that Saka has a good chance of returning to the field after his international break. This makes him available for the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final matches against Real Madrid, scheduled for April 8 and April 16.
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, Talk Sport reported similar developments, adding that Saka had undergone individual drills and light training sessions.
However, none of the above news outlets posted the picture shared by the claimant, which suggests that England International is fully back on its feet.
Furthermore, a Google Reverse Image Search of the picture shows that it is not recent, as the Facebook claimant portrayed.
An X post indicates the Arsenal star shared a similar image of the player on June 25, 2023
Meanwhile, we noticed the image was also recirculated in 2024 on social media, as seen here and here.
Conclusion
Available news reports show the claim is misleading. The image accompanying the claim has been online since 2023, before Saka’s injury in 2024.
