Jermain Defoe has been left impressed by Bukayo Saka and how he is ‘difficult to stop’ following Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Manchester United on Sunday.
The 21-year-old was up against his fellow England teammate, Luke Shaw, who despite knowing everything about Saka’s game, couldn’t stop him from cutting onto his left foot and unleashing a stunning shot into the bottom corner.
It was a moment of pure magic from Arsenal’s ‘star boy’ because, at the time, he put his team back into the lead and they never fell behind again during the heavyweight showdown at the Emirates.
Last season, Saka has 11 Premier League goals and seven assists to his name, but he should better that during this campaign given the road he is currently going down.
At the halfway stage of this current campaign and Mikel Arteta’s men sitting at the top of the table, he has seven goals and seven assists to his name and there’s no reason why he can’t have 25+ goal involvements by the time the final ball is kicked.
During Jermain Defoe’s playing days, he was quick off the mark and someone who could beat the opposition defender with his pace when trying to get that extra yard and he sees that in Saka’s game, as he told MatchDay Extra on Premier League Productions (22/01/23 at 9:15 pm).
“What he does really well is that he slows defenders down,” said Defoe. “He has got that sharpness over two or three yards, where he gets away from people and he gets his shots off really quick.
“When you have people that are that sharp over two or three yards, then they are difficult to stop.
“That’s in the side netting. No goalkeeper is stopping that. Once you slow the defender down and you can change speed, like that, then it’s difficult to stop.”
SAKA SHINING BRIGHT
At the 2022 World Cup and for Arsenal, Saka is becoming an important figure and someone who might just have a Premier League winners medal to his name in May.
If Arsenal are to end nearly 20 years of wait for their title, then their £70k-a-week star (Spotrac) has to be at the heart of it all.
Perhaps his workload also needs to be managed? That was touched upon by Ian Wright, who thinks he needs to be rested at some point.