ARSENAL STARLET Bukayo Saka has regularly shown his ability on the field of play, but he is now displaying his mental resilience and toughness.

The 20-year-old, who was one of three players subjected to online racist abuse following their inability to score in England’s penalty shootout defeat to Italy at Euro 2020, has bounced back in style and is touted to play a massive role as the Gunners look to return to former glories.

Saka, who scored and provided an assist as his team beat arch rivals Tottenham in the recent north London derby, looks back to his best and many expect him to be central to an Arsenal resurgence. 

In so doing, Saka became the youngest player in Premier League history to both score and assist in a north London derby – a record previously held by Cesc Fabregas.

Former Spurs and Stoke City star turned pundit, Garth Crooks, said of Saka after his standout display against the arch rivals: “I said after his penalty miss in the final of the European Championships that it would be the making of him, and I have seen nothing this season to change my mind.

“The ovation given to Saka after 87 minutes for his exploits in the north London derby said all you needed to know about his performance.”

After his Euro trauma, there has been nothing but support for Saka. On the opening day of the season, Brentford fans gave him a rousing reception as he made an appearance as a substitute. 

The youngster was lost for words as he saw a wall of letters of support from fans when he returned to Arsenal’s London Colney training ground after his international exertions during the summer.

“Oh my gosh,” was his initial reaction before he started reading through the messages of support.“ How do I even say thank you for this? Can I just pick it all up and take it home?” he added.

Mature beyond his years, the prodigy was keen for others not to suffer the abuse he had received. He said: “To the social media platforms @instagram @twitter @facebook I don’t want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon have received. 

“I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages. There is no place for racism or hate of any kind in football or in any area of society. By driving out the hate by being kind to one another, we will win.”

Only last week Saka became the youngest player to score in consecutive matches for England since Wayne Rooney in 2004. The Arsenal protege bagged one of the goals as England beat Andorra 5-0.

He was also recently nominated for the prestigious Kopa Trophy. The award, for the best player in world football under the age of 21, was won by Real Madrid and France star Kylian Mbappe in 2018 and Matthijs de Ligt 12 months later. Last year’s was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saka has been in superb form for the Gunners throughout 2021, establishing himself as one of the brightest talents in the Premier League and he also helped England reach the final of Euro 2020.