Arsenal Academy Manager Reveals Who Is The Best Youth Prospect
Per Mertesacker believes Arsenal’s youth sensation, Bukayo Saka is the best prospect to come out of the club’s academy in a while.
The 17-year-old winger has already made his mark on the senior team this season. He has made 4 appearances under Unai Emery, his debut was recorded against Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League group stage.
He also became the first player in over a decade to play for the senior side in the same season he signed his first professional contract with the Gunners. By now it is no secret the amount of talent this youth England international truly possesses.
But Arsenal academy manager, Mertesacker has warned the player against taking on too much way too soon. Speaking about Saka, the German said, “Interesting talent but as well very young, Bukayo Saka is 17-years-old for example and we don’t want to push him too hard to an extent where he’s misused in a way.”
“He has to cope with the tempo, he’s still a first-year scholar so he’s got a lot of education going on so we don’t want him to think that it’s just good enough to train with the first team.”
“The manager likes him, but he’s got a lot of steps to do before he can call himself a real professional in a first-team environment.”
See Also: Arsenal Team Under-18s 2018/19