William Gallas believes there is still more to come from Arsenal and England’s man of the moment Bukayo Saka.
The 21-year-old has taken his game to a new level this season with a flurry of goals and assists helping power his side’s unlikely Premier League title challenge.
An essential part of Mikel Arteta’s set-up, Saka is now equally important to Gareth Southgate whose Three Lions began their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with wins over Italy and Ukraine in the last week.
Saka started both games and decorated Sunday’s Wembley victory with a man of the match performance and a goal that typified his growing confidence and status.
The Hale End Academy graduate is set to end speculation surrounding his future by signing a new long-term contract, said to be worth a staggering £300,000-a-week, and Gallas is confident the winger will compete for the Ballon d’Or in future as long as he keeps improving his end product.
‘With the season that he is having now, I think he is maybe one of the best young players in the world,’ Gallas told Genting Casino.
‘You’ve got players that are a similar age who are also doing great things. Haaland is twenty two. I put him on the roof (laughs). I think you can put Saka just behind him. There are not too many players that are his age that are having a magnificent season.
‘It’s good (Saka’s development). Every season he improves and takes his game to another level. I hope he is going to be one of the players that will challenge for the Balon d’Or in the future because he has the quality for it.
‘That is why slowly, slowly, when you see what he is doing this season and how it compares to one or two years ago, it looks like he is a more decisive player. He can assist, he can score goals, these numbers improve year after year.
‘A player with his quality has to finish the season with fifteen or twenty goals. He is still young. He has the opportunity to improve.
‘One player like him, when he reaches the age of twenty four, he has to finish the season with a minimum of twenty goals.’
MORE : Aaron Ramsey hails ‘absolutely unbelievable’ Mikel Arteta and sends Arsenal ‘deserve’ league title
MORE : Ghana boss gives Thomas Partey injury update after Arsenal star sat out AFCON qualifier
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
