There is little doubt that both Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham are the two young England stars that have lit up the World Cup so far for Gareth Southgate’s side. Today marks the biggest day in both of their careers so far as they are set to start against France in the World Cup quarterfinal.
Saka in particular though is in the spotlight with him being In the England front line and preparing to take on Kylian Mbappe of Les Bleus. The Arsenal man was recently asked about his comparison to the PSG talisman and was expectantly humble in his response.
“Thank you for your compliment, but no…there’s only one Kylian Mbappe,” Saka said. “At the same time, there’s only one me, I just want to be myself and help my team in the best way I can.
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“There’s a lot of young players in this tournament. I can name so many.”
Despite the 21-year-old’s modesty, if there is a comparable player in the Three Lions Saka is it. He started the season for Arsenal quite slowly and it took until matchday six against Manchester United to get his first goal.
However, he has been a driving force as the Gunners lead the league table in the English top tier. Scoring twice against Liverpool in a statement win including a pressure penalty in the final moments.
He has added six assists to his tally of Premier League goals, tallying the second most in the topflight behind only Kevin De Bruyne. He remains challenged to add more goals to his game and contribute further raw statistics and his three goals in three games at this winter’s tournament have somewhat silenced his few remaining critics.
If Saka can be an instrumental figure in a historic win for England and Southgate, who arguably faces the first side at a tournament he is not expected to see his side overcome, and knock both France and Mbappe out it could elevate him to an even higher height. This would be to both the delight and nervousness of the Gunners.
Saka will have just one year remaining on his contract come to the end of the season. football.london understands that Arsenal remain confident in him signing a new deal but it can never be without some fear when he shines on the world stage.
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