Mikel Arteta has admitted that he has been a little taken back by the responsibility shown by Bukayo Saka during Arsenal games, insisting it’s very uncommon for a teenager to do what he does.
The Gunners sit 13th in the Premier League table and seem to be having a rotten season under Arteta, who led them to an FA Cup title as recently as August.
But Saka has been one of the few Arsenal players to shine in recent weeks and months, with the 19-year-old seriously enhancing his reputation as a future star.
Arteta worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City for a number of years before being appointed head coach at the Emirates 12 months ago.
And the Spaniard has told Arsenal’s official website that it isn’t ‘common at all’ for young players to play the game as maturely as Saka.
He said: “For me the biggest thing he has done in the last few months is the personality he plays with and the responsibility he takes in the decisions he is willing to take when things are not going well, and the impact he has had for the team to get results. At that age, it is not common at all.”
Saka is indeed a rising star and Arsenal need to rise with him.
Despite being an academy player, he might find it hard to stay in North London if the club’s ambition doesn’t match his own, which means Champions League qualification has to be the short-term goal.
Finishing in the top four looks a tall order for Arteta’s side next season, but the longer Arsenal go without rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite, the more likely it is that their best young players – like Saka and Gabriel Martinelli – will be vulnerable to being poached.
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