Mikel Arteta has defended Bukayo Saka as “incredible” and insists any player will underperform from time to time, especially if they feature as often as the 24-year-old winger does.
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It’s fair to say that Bukayo Saka didn’t have his best performance against Arsenal away to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, leading to some criticism of his performance. But Mikel Arteta insists the club have full faith in one of their star players.
“We trust him completely and love him,” Arteta said. “What he has done for us, for this club, is unbelievable at his age and he continues to have a huge impact on us.
“His individual performances may not reflect the level he’s at, like everyone, every player in the world. But overall, when you see his power and his drive in the team, it’s unbelievable.”
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Arteta also pointed out at the same press conference that Saka’s playing time this season is already very similar to his figures in the 2024/25 season. The winger will surpass last season’s goal total if he plays an important role against Everton on Saturday afternoon.
Saka obviously missed part of last season with a serious hamstring injury, so the main difference this season is that he’s only missed six games due to injury.
But whatever the reasons behind his playing time, Saka has certainly shouldered a heavy workload this season. Especially for players recovering from hamstring surgery.
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Saka still has plenty of great games to play this season and there should be more between now and June. In this case, it is normal for some minor phenomena to occur occasionally.
