Man United Rio Ferdinand says ONE Arsenal player did something that really bursts his head today in the match against Nottingham Forest which no current Man United player can do- Not Gabriel Martinelli
Rio Ferdinand describes Arsenal player as ‘the real deal’
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has hit the ground running this season, earning praise from fans and pundits alike.
The Gunners ace has long been one of the club’s top players, delivering stellar performances week in, week out.
On Saturday, Saka was once again outstanding as Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners over Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners got their Premier League campaign off to the ideal start at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 26th minute as Gabriel Martinelli skilfully set up Eddie Nketiah to score.
The Brazilian backheeled the ball for his teammate to carve out an opening and fire home through a defender’s legs.
Saka then doubled Arsenal’s lead a few minutes later with an early goal of the season contender.
The 21-year-old picked up the ball on the right, cut inside and let rip with a curling 25-yard effort into the top corner.
Forest gave Arsenal a late scare with an 82nd-minute Taiwo Awoniyi goal, but Mikel Arteta’s charges held on.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical about Saka, saying he’s “the real deal” and “no fluke”.
He said: “This kid is the real deal.
“He’s telling people that last season was no fluke, that I’m here to stay, and I’m going to be putting my name up alongside the greatest of this football club.
“This kid is the truth.”
Our view
We’ve all seen what Saka is capable of. Over the past few years, he’s developed into one of the best players in the Premier League.
And to think he’s just 21. He’s still right at the start of his career, which suggests he’s still nowhere near his peak.
In a lot of cases, players his age are still going out on loan to build experience. Maybe getting in and around the first team.
Saka is closing in on 200 competitive appearances for Arsenal and has also won 28 England caps.
The way he’s progressing, he could well reach Ronaldo and Messi levels over the next decade.
It’ll be exciting to see how he fares this season in one of the best Arsenal teams (on paper anyway) since the Invincibles.
