Gareth Southgate’s Praise of Bukayo Saka Could Bode Well for Arsenal Starlet [Opinion]

Gareth Southgate has praised Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka for his performance in England’s 2-0 Nations League defeat to Belgium – and this could bode well for the youngster’s career.

The 19-year-old featured as a substitute from the 38th minute onwards after left-back Ben Chilwell suffered an injury. Featuring in a defensive quintet, Saka was able to impress with his creativity and robustness, despite his team being on the wrong end of the scoreline.

The defeat in Leuven ended the Three Lions’ hopes of making the Nations League finals, but Southgate took clear positives from a progressive performance by his team, who had twice as many shots as Belgium despite losing.

In an enticing statistic for Arsenal fans, Metro noted that Saka created the joint-most chances of any player on the pitch – in a fluid defensive role, no less.

Southgate praised the overall acumen of his side before singling out the Arsenal prospect for his fine individual display, saying:

‘I’m so impressed with the performance of the players. We’ve learned a lot about a lot of players, not only their ability, but their mentality.

‘There were several players who it’s the very early stages of their international careers, who were excellent.

‘Jack [Grealish] is the obvious one, his performance was outstanding, but I also thought Bukayo as well.

‘Coming into a game like that as a very young player, against an experienced player like [Thomas] Meunier. He had an excellent game on the left when he came into it.’

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Southgate praising Saka for his mature display is not to be taken lightly; it is high praise which indicates his strong liking for the youngster.

This fervent praise for Saka may indicate that, despite his young age, he may well end up as a regular presence in England line-ups for years to come.

International experience should help Saka to hone and improve his game as he learns from seasoned squad members, which in turn should see him exert an even greater influence on proceedings at Arsenal.