Paul Merson says one Arsenal player was really bad vs Man Utd but nobody is saying anything about it

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Arsenal have received criticism for their performance at Old Trafford despite claiming three points.

Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 to begin their Premier League campaign, however, Mikel Arteta’s side were on the back foot for the majority of the game.

Ruben Amorim’s side looked fitter, sharper and stronger in the duels, something that is rarely said about Arteta’s team.

Rio Ferdinand has criticised Viktor Gyokeres for not looking fit enough in the season opener, however, Paul Merson thinks another player’s poor performance is going under the radar.

READ MORE: Sam Allardyce says Arsenal only beat Manchester United because of £30m player

Paul Merson says Bukayo Saka didn’t get a kick against Manchester United

Speaking to Sky Sports, Merson has highlighted the display of Bukayo Saka as a cause for concern for the Gunners.

Gary Neville slammed Saka’s performance at Old Trafford and Owen Hargreaves even called it one of the Hale End star’s ‘worst’ displays in an Arsenal shirt.

Merson stated: “Bukayo Saka never really impacted the game. He was marked out of the game by Luke Shaw, but no-one really says anything because it’s Saka.

“He never really got a kick and he’s a £100m player. But the shiny new striker signing also never really got a kick and there’s been so much reaction.”

The Gunners will be hoping for a much-improved performance when they host Leeds in their next Premier League clash.

Arteta will be hoping that the likes of Saka and Gyokeres can build a relationship and begin to fire in front of goal.

Bukayo Saka has had ideal preparation for this season

For the first time in a long while, Saka is entering a campaign having had a summer of rest and a full pre-season behind him.

Injury hampered the 23-year-old last season and he would have been a player wishing that the season wasn’t going to end in May.

Previous summers he has gone deep into international tournaments with England and it is now time for Saka to take his game to the next level.

Troy Deeney thinks it is all on Saka in terms of Arsenal winning the league this season and whilst the Gunners are far from a one-man team, there is a huge burden on the shoulders of the winger.