Thierry Henry says Bukayo Saka is ‘world-class’ as he highlighted the ‘powerful brain’ he operates with when playing for Arsenal.
When Bukayo Saka first donned the colours of Arsenal, he was a fresh-faced teenager trying to make his way into a team that was in all sorts of bother, both on and off the field of play.
Yet, despite his age, the Hale-End star stepped up and got his boyhood club out of a hole – Ian Wright has told Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford to learn from his England teammate.
Fast forward to the present, and at 22, Bukayo Saka is one of Mikel Arteta’s most important players and one of the top players in the Premier League today.
And, according to an Arsenal legend in Thierry Henry, he says ‘you have to be world-class’ when you find a way ‘no matter what you throw at them’, as he told Amazon Prime.
That’s the boat Thierry Henry thinks Bukayo Saka operates in because he feels he is always ‘ahead’ of his opponent because of how ‘effective’ he is and how he uses his footballing brain.
For a player like Bukayo Saka to receive such praise from a legendary figure will be very warming and inspiring because he is getting such plaudits from Arsenal’s greatest.
But step aside William Saliba, it’s another youngster in the Arsenal ranks getting the ‘world-class’ tag thrown at them.
Is Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka world-class?
“You don’t have to win a Premier League title to be world-class,” said Henry.
“For me, I think he is going in that direction if he isn’t already there. Players that find a way to be effective, no matter what you throw at them. They have to be world-class.
“There is a thought process in what he does all the time. When a player plays with the brain. He is going to be ahead of the game.
“Before it was 1 v 1. Then it became a 1 v 2, now it’s a 1 v 3. You see the picture and it’s a 1 v 4. So, you need to find a way and I am going to repeat. The brain is a powerful thing and he has one.”
Bukayo Saka’s importance for Arsenal and England
For club and country, Saka is as important as they come and he is key to both lifting silverware.
Of course, Arsenal want that all-important Premier League title after missing out in such a brutal fashion last season – Jamie O’Hara has warned Arsenal won’t win the Premier League title with David Raya.
You would argue that there are a few Arsenal players, who if they stay fit, can push the team to the title and Saka is one of them.
Then there is England trying to win Euro 2024 in Germany. Once again, Saka is a starter for Gareth Southgate and key to the Three Lions, for the first time in decades and decades, winning a major trophy.
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