Bukayo Saka has responded to Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules on social media.
Arsenal academy ace Tyreece John-Jules is currently on loan with League One side Derby County. Bukayo Saka recently congratulated the forward for opening his account with the Rams.
On Tuesday, Derby County made the short trip to Staffordshire to take on Port Vale. John-Jules scored the only goal of the match, to secure a 1-0 win on the road for his side. The strike marked his first goal for the club, and came on his third appearance for them, having missed the majority of the season so far with a thigh injury.
In celebration of his maiden goal for the club, John-Jules made a statement on Instagram, saying, “It’s been a journey… WE BACK!” Saka, who John-Jules will know well from the time the pair shared in the Arsenal Hale End academy system, replied to his post with a loveheart-eyes emoji.
Arsenal gems Bukayo Saka and Tyreece John-Jules now on different paths
Saka and John-Jules are comparable in many ways. Both joined the north London club at a very young age, being seven and eight-years-old respectively. Both are tricky, fleet-footed attackers who enjoyed plenty of success at youth level. Saka and John-Jules were also both part of the Arsenal side which reached the 2018 FA Youth Cup final.
However, whereas Saka was able to kick on, and is now a talismanic figure at the Emirates Stadium and one of the stand out players in the Premier League, a succession of injuries and underwhelming loan spells have limited John-Jules’ career.
Perhaps, with Derby County, the attacker has now found his level. The harsh truth is, at 22-years-old and still having never made his first team debut for Arsenal, he is almost certain to have no place in Mikel Arteta’s plans. He now needs to focus on making the most of this loan spell, before going on to enjoy a successful career away from Arsenal on a permanent basis.
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