Mikel Arteta told he has Arsenal star who boasts Lionel Messi and Mo Salah trait
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was told Bukayo Saka possesses a quality only shared with world-class talents Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah.
Saka was part of the England side held to a 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Saturday but came closer than anyone to delivering three points for the Three Lions. During the second half, he cut in from the right and hit a shot which was destined for the back of the net until Ukraine keeper Georgiy Bushchan tipped it onto the crossbar.
Former England star Joe Cole was on punditry duty for the game for Channel 4, and was impressed by Saka's ability to fashion the chance for himself. Indeed, despite not sending the ball beyond Bushchan, Saka's quality and movement to create the opportunity earned him high praise indeed.
"He’s got an ability to cut in, just like Lionel Messi, which very few players have," Cole said. “Mo Salah has it, Lionel Messi has it and Bukayo Saka has it.”
In the end, though, Oleksandr Zinchenko was the only Arsenal player to find the net in Wroclaw. The Ukraine captain put his team in front in the 26th minute, but Kyle Walker's equaliser ensured the spoils were shared.
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Despite the dropped points, England remain well on course to book their place at the Euros after winning four games out of four going into the Ukraine clash. Southgate's side have a friendly against Scotland as their second fixture of the current international break, while Ukraine face a crunch match away to Italy.
How important is Saka for England? Have your say in the comments section
Bukayo Saka and England could only draw with Ukraine (Ashley Western/Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock)Cole's comments came after Saka was named England's men's player of the year for a second straight year. The accolade came after he upped his output in front of goal, recording his first ever senior hat-trick in a victory over North Macedonia back in June.
"I’m always looking to improve and progress each season," Saka said after retaining the award. "So, I’m definitely aiming for more this year.
“I think it’s about commitment, you know, commitment to being better so obviously, it requires me to do a lot of things in terms of listening, watching clips, training hard every day, putting in the extra work to try and keep progressing. I’ve got my head down, worked harder, and set myself some targets and goals to achieve and just went from there and strived to achieve them – each year, I try to keep progressing and getting better.”
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