Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka caused quite a stir with his performance in the 3-0 UEFA Europa League win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night, with one Gunners great saying he looked better than £72-million signing Nicolas Pepe.
Saka, born in London but of Nigerian descent, scored one goal and provided assists for Arsenal’s two others in what was an outstanding individual display from the 18-year-old.
It was his first appearance of the season and won rave reviews from former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, who says Saka outshine many of his more illustrious teammates.
“They toil away, trying to get young players in and they’ve found one in Saka,” Keown told BT Sport. “You think of the way Pepe is playing at the minute, they paid £72-million for him and this kid looked better than him tonight.
“When Saka gets the ball [for the second goal], he shows composure, he’s passing it into the goal, it’s a beautiful finish. To think he’s 18 years of age.”
England junior international Saka made his English Premier League debut with a seven-minute cameo in a 4-1 win over Fulham in January, but has not featured since.
He did also make three appearances in the Europa League and FA Cup last season.