Rio Ferdinand believes that one Arsenal player is actually playing so much better than many realise, insisting that he has been ‘unreal’ for the Gunners this season.Arsenal remain on the cusp of ending their 20-year wait to win a Premier League title this season, with the side currently ahead of Manchester City in the penultimate week of the campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s men have perhaps not been as exciting to watch this season, but they have definitely improved from last year.
David Raya is set to win the Golden Glove, while Declan Rice has proved an inspired addition, and Kai Havertz has really stepped up in the number nine position over the last few months. Martin Odegaard meanwhile, has arguably been one of the best players in the division as the run-in has got going.
With that, you would perhaps be forgiven for not realising that Bukayo Saka leads the way for goals and assists in the Arsenal squad in the Premier League this season.
Rio Ferdinand says Bukayo Saka has been unreal this seasonSaka has been directly involved in 25 goals so far, and he has never had scored more league goals in a single season.Saka however, did not make the top six as the Football Writers Association voted for their player of the year last week.
And speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand suggested that the 22-year-old has probably been a lot better than many actually realise.“I don’t think it’s been a quiet season for him, I just think he’s been really, really steady. His numbers have been really strong.
I think he gets tarred with the same brush as Mo Salah now, because he’s not taking over games and dribbling past people all the time and doing the razzmatazz bits in a game, people are going ‘oh, he’s not really playing well’,” he said.He does an unreal job for his team, he stays high, he stays wide, he does what the manager wants in that sense.
And he always asks the full-back the question, can you stay with me? You going to stay with me all game? He comes inside a lot. I still think he needs that variable in his game a bit more to be able to go on the outside and then deliver the right choice of pass or shot with his right foot.“I think he’s had a really, really solid season in a team that’s challenging.
And for his age, I just think the consistency, and the amount of games he plays, I don’t think he could really be questioned in that sense.”What Arsenal star does has been taken for grantedThere is definitely likely to be a feeling that Saka is just doing what he does, having reached double figures for league goals three years running now.
But it is remarkable that, at 22, Saka scoring 16 goals in the top-flight goes under the radar.Ultimately, it is out of Arsenal’s hands, but he could end the campaign as the leading goalscorer and assist-maker for the Premier League champions.
