Thierry Henry shares honest doubts about Bukayo Saka at Arsenal
Arsenal academy graduate Bukayo Saka has emerged as one of the Premier League’s best widemen over recent seasons but Gunners icon Thierry Henry did not see it going that way initially
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorArsenal legend Thierry Henry admits he has been caught off guard by just how good Bukayo Saka has become.
The Hale End academy graduate is now a key member of the Gunners first team having progressed through the club’s youth set-up. He joined Arsenal at age seven and eventually made his debut in 2018.
Saka can now boast over 230 appearances for the club’s first-team and 60 goals, while he has also won the FA Cup and is an established England international. But Henry has admitted that he did not see Saka becoming quite as effective as he is for the Gunners.
Speaking on CBS Sports, the Frenchman said: "I saw him at the academy and I didn’t think he would be that good, I’ll be honest with you. But when you work, you have that work ethic, you have a good family behind you, cause I know the family, he is clever, he works well.
“I really saw a player reaching his level, because right now he is at a level, hard to arrive. He has been there for almost three years if I am being honest."
And Henry has revealed why he thinks Saka has enjoyed the success that he has - his unselfishness and dedication. Henry added: "At the European Championship (with England) they are asking him to play wing-back, he plays wing-back.
“He goes and defends for his right-back, he goes wide, he goes left, he goes behind, he does everything without complaining. He plays every single game.
“He played in the Carabao Cup, he played after the World Cup straight away in the first round of the FA Cup. It will be a dream for a full-back to have a guy like that in front of you, defending like that, going on the counter, he makes the job easier for everybody."
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Saka, 23, enjoyed his best season in front of goal last term as he notched 20 goals in all competitions for Arsenal, as well as providing 14 assists. The England winger has already enjoyed an excellent start to the current campaign and has two goals and five assists to his name.
He scored most recently in the Gunners’ landmark win against PSG in the Champions League. Saka will be hoping to extend his hot form this weekend as Mikel Arteta ’s side take on struggling Southampton at the Emirates Stadium.
Ahead of that game, he has suggested that he believes it is finally Arsenal’s year to win the Premier League title. He said: "I don't want to put too much pressure on us, but I do think this is the year.
"We have been close for the past two years and we are getting closer, but, yes, hopefully this will be the year. There is a lot of hunger in my belly. In previous years we have finished runners-up, but that spirit in me is that I want to win this season and I believe in myself a lot."
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