Mikel Arteta hails 'special' Bukayo Saka ahead of 200th Arsenal appearance
- Saka is set to make his 200th Arsenal appearance against Luton on Tuesday
- Winger will become youngest Arsenal player to reach milestone since Cesc Fabregas
- Arteta hailed Saka's ability to keep himself healthy
By Tom Gott
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Bukayo Saka as he prepares to make his 200th appearance for the Gunners.
Less than five years after his debut as a 17-year-old in January 2019, Saka is set to reach 200 outings in an Arsenal shirt when Arteta's side take on Luton Town in the Premier League.
Should he feature as expected, he will become the youngest player to reach the milestone for Arsenal since Cesc Fabregas.
"That's not bad at his age!" Arteta said of Saka ahead of the game. "It's gone really fast but it shows again the consistency and the availability that he has had over the last few years. It has been tremendous and the impact that he's had in the team has been really positive.
"It's like watching a kid raise, and get older, mature and evolve. And he still has the same humility and willingness to get better and better and get to know the people close to him in his life, and the impact they have on him. All the academy people who worked with him as well over the years to make him the player he is today, they have to take a huge compliment of who Bukayo is today. And then let him be. Bukayo is a special guy, we have him with us hopefully for many years to come."
With Saka's career still in its relative infancy, Arteta believes there are no limits to what the future holds for Arsenal's star forward.
"At the moment no because he hasn’t got any limits and he wants more and the people around him want more," the boss continued.
"His teammates are having a better understanding of what he needs as well. He has coaches, staff and a club that wants to push him to become better. I think it’s a good context for him to keep growing."
Of the players in the current squad, Mohamed Elneny is second when it comes to appearances for Arsenal with 158, with Eddie Nketiah (151), Gabriel Martinelli (147) and Gabriel Magalhaes (138) close behind.
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