11 November 2023 , 09:45
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In the eyes of many Arsenal fans, Bukayo Saka has already sealed his place as one of the great Gunners' academy graduates.
However, extra care must be taken when handling the 22-year-old's fitness and workload to ensure he doesn't end up like the last truly remarkable talent to emerge from the club's famed Hale End youth set-up - Jack Wilshere. The central midfielder made his Arsenal debut at just 16 years of age and like Saka, was tipped for greatness.
And while there were a number of moments where the Emirates faithful got to see Wilshere's brilliance first-hand, who could forget THAT goal against Norwich? Constant injuries led to lengthy spells on the sidelines and in turn wrecked his Arsenal career in the long-term.
When Wilshere first burst onto the scene as a fresh-faced teenager with a keen eye for a pass, many viewed him as a future Gunners captain. It didn't take him long to establish himself as a regular in the Arsenal line-up The 2010/11 campaign saw the midfielder make 58 appearances for club and country, playing a total of 3,819 minutes for club alone.
More than a decade down the line, long after Wilshere has hung up his boots altogether at the age 30, many feel it was the amount of games he played at such a young age that bright his career to a premature end and led him to undergo surgeries on his ankle, knee and fibula.
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Considering current boss Mikel Arteta was a team-mate of Wilshere's and witnessed his injury hell first hand, one would assume he'd be extra cautious of putting the young talent he has now in harm's way. On the contrary, he has started or brought Saka off the bench for every single Premier League game over the course of the last three seasons, bar one.
The single fixture Saka didn't play any part in came in the form of a 1-0 win over Manchester City which the England ace was forced to sit out with an injury. So much is placed on the winger's young shoulders that he has actually broken records for the amount of appearances he has made.
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Bukayo Saka hobbled out of Arsenal's win over Sevilla injuredSaka became the first Arsenal outfield player since Lee Dixon two decades prior to play in every single league game for two successive seasons. Fears over a future burnout are legitimate, especially with Wilshere as such a recent case study.
Despite this, Arteta is unwavering in his stance that Saka is simply doing what is required of all the best players. Speaking back in October of last year, the Gunners boss claimed: “Look at the top players in the world, they play 70 matches and every three days and make the difference and win the game.
“You want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that. If we start to put something different in the minds of our young players I think we are making a huge mistake because then it’s one yes, one no, now I don’t play, on astroturf I don’t play, I don’t want that.
“I want them to be ruthless every three days. They are going to be knocking on my door, [saying] ‘I want to play, I want to win the game.' There is not a fitness coach in the world who is going to tell me that they cannot do it because I’ve seen it."
More than 12 months on, his opinion on the matter doesn't seem to have changed too much. Arsenal's last outing saw them beat Sevilla 2-0 with Saka getting on the scoresheet, but also hobbling out of action with what looked like an ankle injury late on.
Some sections of the Arsenal fanbase may have been expecting the manager to demand protection for his star-man. Arteta opted to do the opposite, insisting that rough treatment from opposition defenders is simply something Saka will have to put up with.
Asked whether Saka was born ready for tough challenges, Arteta said: “Born? I think he's getting used to it!
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“I don't think that's going to change, especially with the way he plays and the way he attracts players so he better get used to it because I don't think it's going to change. There's contact in football and obviously for the wingers who want to take people on this is going to happen."
In that case, Saka must simply hope that lightening doesn't strike twice.