Bukayo Saka has reached a Premier League milestone that only Wayne Rooney has achieved at a younger age.
It’s another example perhaps of just how underrated the Arsenal winger is outside of the Gunners’ fanbase.
As per Opta, Saka became the second youngest player in Premier League history to register both 50 goals and 50 assists, reaching the landmark at 24 years and 255 days.
Only Rooney got there faster, back in 2010, achieving the feat at 24 years and 84 days, during a period in which the Manchester United forward was widely regarded as the best player in the league.
The milestone was reached in fitting fashion. Saka’s inswinging corner was met by Kai Havertz with a precise header in the 36th minute, the only goal of a nervy but controlled 1-0 win over Burnley at the Emirates on Monday night.
Fill in the blank – Kai Havertz’s header was the best I’ve seen for Arsenal since ___
The result puts Arsenal five points clear at the top of the Premier League and piles the pressure firmly on Manchester City ahead of their trip to Bournemouth.
How Bukayo Saka at 24 compares to Wayne Rooney
Nobody is seriously arguing that Bukayo Saka is operating on Wayne Rooney’s level just yet.
The former England captain finished his career with 208 goals, 103 assists and 120 caps, numbers that place him among the finest British players of any generation.
At 24, Rooney was already a Champions League winner and had a decade of elite football ahead of him.
But that is rather the point.
The fact that Saka keeps appearing in the same sentences as players of that calibre, and that stats like this keep cropping up about him, is precisely what makes the wider football world’s reluctance to fully appreciate him so baffling.
What does Bukayo Saka need to do to be considered Arsenal’s greatest ever Premier League winger?
He recently became the first Arsenal player to score in two different Champions League semi-finals, a feat not even Thierry Henry managed.
City must now win at Bournemouth to keep Pep Guardiola’s farewell dream alive and take it to the final day.
If City drop points, the title will be Arsenal’s.
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