DBasia.news – Rio Ferdinand, former Manchester United defender, challenges Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford to be like Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
Saka played a key role in Arsenal’s brilliant start to the 2022/23 Premier League season. The Gunners sit top of the table and are four points clear of reigning champions Manchester City after 10 games.
The Arsenal winger has four goals in his last three games, while Sancho and Rashford have struggled to impress the Red Devils on a consistent basis.
“In this form, you can’t get past Saka at that right-wing spot,” Ferdinand said on the Vibe with Five podcast.
“He’s a winger that, when he got him, I’ve watched him live several times this year. His first instinct and intention was to get past you. We [Man United] don’t seem to have any imagination in those areas.”
“Right now, we are in that position and unfortunately for us our wingers are turning their backs on that. They don’t kill the full-backs. They don’t skin them. The best teams wait for that moment in the game, and you might only get two or three moments where they stand as full-backs going forward. Saka is doing it now and so is anyone in the league and saying right, I’m going to haunt you. Right now, our wingers don’t do that.”
Saka is the first player to be involved in 50 goals for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta in all competitions, scoring 26 goals and providing 24 assists since the Spaniard took over.
Saka looks set to be an important player for England at the World Cup, but there is no guarantee that Rashford and Sancho would be in Gareth Southgate’s squad. Neither player was included in the final Three Lions selection for the UEFA Nations League games against Italy and Germany in September.