"Star Boy doing Star Boy tings" - Rio Ferdinand hails Bukayo Saka as Arsenal star joins elite PL list following 6-0 win over Sheffield United
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has hailed Bukayo Saka after the latter joined an elite list of Premier League players with 50 goals and assists each since November 2018.
Saka achieved this feat in Arsenal's 6-0 drubbing of Sheffield United on March 4 at the Emirates. His cross was inadvertently turned in by Jayden Bogle in the 13th minute of the match to make it 2-0.
The England international then racked up an assist after he aided Declan Rice's 39th-minute goal to make it 5-0 on the night. With the Gunners cruising at half-time, Mikel Arteta had the luxury of taking Saka off before the start of the second half.
After the match, @footballonTNT on X (formerly Twitter) shared a statistic that noted that Saka had reached 50 assists for Arsenal across competitions. The tweet noted that the Englishman is the sixth Premier League player to rack up at least 50 goals and assists each since Nov. 2018.
Saka joined Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez, Bruno Fernandes, Son Heung-min, and Bruno Fernandes on this list. Responding to the tweet, Ferdinand wrote:
"50/50 Star Boy doing Star Boy tings! Congrats @BukayoSaka87"
Saka, 22, now has 54 goals and 50 assists for the Gunners in 214 career matches.
Mikel Arteta explains Bukayo Saka substitution in Arsenal's latest win
Mikel Arteta explained that Arsenal decided to take off Bukayo Saka at half-time against Sheffield United as the player wasn't feeling well.
The England international was replaced by Portuguese playmaker Fabio Vieira. Arteta said after the match, via Liverpool Echo:
"Bukayo was feeling sick and he wasn't feeling right so we decided to take him off and bring Fabio in."
Saka has been an ever-present for Arsenal this season, playing in all but one of their 27 Premier League matches. He has 13 goals and eight assists in that time and has played a huge role in keeping his team just two points within the top of the table.
Liverpool are at the top of the standings with 63 points, while Manchester City lead the Gunners by a solitary point. Saka will be crucial for Arsenal if they want to win their first league title in two decades. It remains to be seen if he is fit to start in the home league match against Brentford on March 9.