Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka shrugs off World Cup heartbreak and injury agony with secret seven-day fitness regime

BUKAYO SAKA could be forgiven for starting this season slowly and with a World Cup hangover. The winger endured a frustrating tournament and his hat-trick in England’s third-place play-off win over France came in only a third start. Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring Arsenal’s second goal against Coventry in their Premier League opener last night Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Saka & co look raring to go this season as they launch their title defence Credit: Getty But there were no lingering signs of that disappointment — nor the Achilles issue that had dogged Saka since March – on Friday night. He was electric and scored Arsenal’s second goal as the champions began their title defence with a convincing 3-0 win over Coventry. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! For Saka, 24, it was reward for his hard work during a short break, where he learned the best tonic for any hangover is getting a sweat on. The winger said: “I was training a lot so I could be ready for the start of the season — and ready to help the team in the way I know I can. “It was more about balancing my time off and not having too much of a break. I took seven days off and then started to train again. “I’ve put in a lot of work since then and I’m feeling good. I just tried to come back in good shape, so I’m on top of my body. “The World Cup didn’t necessarily go how I wanted it to – for myself and for the team as well. “I felt really hungry after the World Cup, after the season ended. I was looking forward to this new season.” Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Saka signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal in February Credit: Getty There had been suspicions Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would look to ease Saka back into action this season. But the winger put paid to that by returning to training a few days early and expressing his desire to get going. The end result is that Arsenal’s attack has looked sharp in their first two games of the season. A 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield last Sunday was followed with another three goals against Prem new boys Coventry. The Gunners looked sluggish going forward on their way to winning the Prem last term but early signs suggest their title defence will be different. Saka and captain Martin Odegaard have rekindled the connection that makes them so dangerous – and suddenly the attack is flowing. Odegaard scored Arsenal’s third on Friday night and the first came courtesy of Kai Havertz, who also adds to the team’s fluency. Just like Saka, a fit Odegaard has made a huge difference and the pair will take some stopping on this form. Saka takes the match ball after scoring a hat-trick for England against France in the third-place play off at the World Cup in Miami Credit: Getty Saka added: “Martin is playing really well. Last week against City he played really well, got his goal and he has done the same again. “When he plays well, the team is just a lot better. And this was a great start for the team. “We played beautiful football and scored the goals the game required.” Saka caught the eye against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues – but Christos Tzolis on the opposite flank was just as impressive. The winger has hit the ground running since moving from Club Brugge in the summer for £34million. Tzolis, 24, had a hand in Saka’s goal as it was his cross that Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth spilled to the England star’s feet. It capped off a stunning home debut for the Greek – and he is quickly becoming a fan favourite. Arsenal remain in the market for a new left winger after missing out on both Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Jr this summer but all-action Tzolis has shown that he is ready to step up. Arsenal were linked with Vincius Jr this summer until he agreed a new contract with Real Madrid Credit: Reuters He said: “There was a lot of excitement when I had the ball and that gave me motivation to have confidence in my actions.” Arteta also played down fears over fellow new boy Bruno Guimaraes’ fitness. The Brazilian midfielder – a £75m buy from Newcastle – missed the Prem opener with a groin issue. But asked if he could be out for weeks, Arteta replied: “No, no. We don’t expect that. Let’s see how he evolves this week.” Comment now