Martin Keown believes Bukayo Saka is the only current Arsenal player who "would walk" into their famous Invincibles team.
Keown, 56, was a member of Arsene Wenger's side that went a Premier League campaign unbeaten during the 2003/04 term to win the title. Other members included Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Denis Bergkamp and Ashley Cole.
Saka, 21, has featured in all 19 of Arsenal's Premier League games this term to help them go five points clear of Manchester City in second with a game in hand. His influence is obvious, as he has been named Arsenal's Player of the Year two seasons in-a-row.
Keown believes Saka is talented enough to rival the likes of Pires, Henry and Bergkamp for a place in the Wenger's famous attack. The ex-defender has also compared him to iconic Arsenal winger Marc Overmars, who helped them win the 1997/98 Premier League title.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Keown claimed: "He is, right now, the one player who would walk into the 2003-04 Invincibles team... Saka now has the world at his feet. His work ethic is infectious - so is his smile. He has the trickery of Phil Foden and the pace of Marcus Rashford all in one. It is a unique skillset and he is as tough as teak to go with it."
Keown believes Saka "totally destroyed" Luke Shaw during Arsenal's 3-2 home win against Manchester United last time out. He also claimed the England international, who featured regularly at the recent World Cup in Qatar, has "barely missed a step all season".
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Keown's comparison will mean a lot to Saka. Only two English teams in history have gone a top-flight league campaign unbeaten - the Invincibles and Preston in 1888/89. Yet that Preston side only played 22 league games that season, compared to the 38 played today.
Yet Arsenal's other stars will perhaps be annoyed at Keown's assessment. Although Mikel Arteta's team have lost one Premier League game this term, they have picked up 50 points at the halfway mark - five more than the Invincibles had at the same stage.
Despite overlooking them for a place in the Invincibles side, Keown was keen to praise the rest of Arteta's squad. He claims there is a "strong spine" to the team thanks to the recruitment made by the manager and sporting director Edu.
"Saka is not alone, of course," added Keown. The Arsenal legend says the team's success starts with Aaron Ramsdale in goal and has highlighted the "solidity of the outstanding" Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, William Saliba.
Keown has also lauded Oleksandr Zinchenko's "precise passing" and how Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are "patrolling and dominating the middle of the pitch". Furthermore, he thinks it was a brilliant decision by Arteta to give Martin Odegaard the captaincy.
Arsenal's title credentials will be put to the test on Friday night, as they take on Man City at the Etihad in the FA Cup. It is the first time the two title candidates have faced each other this season, with their first league meeting at the Emirates pencilled for February 15.
