Former England star Emile Heskey has labelled Arsenal's Bukayo Saka as the Three Lions' 'MVP' and highlighted his club form as a key factor for his brilliant World Cup debut performance against Iran.
The Gunners star is attracting interest from Premier League rivals Manchester City and Liverpool as talks over a contract renewal at the Emirates Stadium continue. Saka has been one of the standout performers for Arsenal since breaking into the senior team and has carried his brilliant Arsenal form into the World Cup.
Saka's double helped England to an opening game victory against Iran at the Qatar 2022 World Cup but it was the quality of his two strikes that showed his immense ability. Gary Neville, ex-Gunners star Theo Walcott and Saka's Arsenal teammates have all lauded the 21-year-old for his stellar display after Gareth Southgate took the decision to start Saka ahead of Phil Foden.
READ MORE: Gary Neville and ex-Arsenal star agree on Bukayo Saka verdict after England heroics
Former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey feels that whilst fans shouldn't get carried away with the win against Iran, Saka has shown he can be a crucial player for Southgate throughout the tournament. Heskey told Safe Betting Sites: "It was great to see but we don’t want to get carried away because clearly Iran are nowhere near the toughest team England will face in this tournament.
"It’s great to see Saka, Rashford and Bellingham scoring goals and getting plaudits now rather than the racist abuse they suffered just over a year ago after the Euros. Saka in particular put in a great performance and was arguably man of the match. You can draw a comparison to a ‘regular’ summer World Cup where players would have four weeks off after the end of the season ahead of the tournament.
"But Saka has come from Arsenal, where he and the club have been in fantastic form, to going straight into this game against Iran. So he hasn’t had any time off for his form to dip and I think the timing of the World Cup has worked out well for him in particular."
Shocked by his maturity and level of responsibility at such a young age, Heskey feels that Saka's mentality is key to him continuing to perform week in, week out for club and country. The ex-England striker continued: "It fascinates me how someone so young can take so much responsibility on their shoulders. It’s not easy.
"I moved from big clubs to smaller clubs and everyone was looking to me to take that mantle and that’s not easy either. But Saka’s doing it week in, week out at a big club like Arsenal at the age of 21 and that shows where he is mentally. And when you’re in a good place mentally, nothing is impossible.
"So he’s showing that he’s happy to take the weight on his shoulders. He’s only 21 and there will be times where has to cope with a dip in form. But we need to just bear with him because he will bounce back. Because with playing that many games you can burn yourself out.
"It’s key that he’s being played in his best position now. Players don’t usually say anything when they’re being out of position, even if it’s to their own detriment they’ll just do what the manager tells them. But if you play them in their right position you’ll get the best out of them like Southgate is with Saka now.
"Bukayo Saka is England’s MVP. Young players like him don’t overthink things. He isn’t affected by the external noise. He’s just playing on instinct and letting his talent do the talking. It’s great to see and he’s showing what a special player he is."
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