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Will Bukayo Saka get a chance in the cup?

Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka will make it three competitions in a shade more than five weeks if he gets another first-team chance on Saturday.

The 17-year-old made his senior debut against Vorskla Poltava in Kiev in November and got a second Europa League game under his belt against Qarabag last month.

 

Saka kicked off 2019 with a Premier League debut against Fulham - becoming the first player born in 2001 to feature in the competition - and he now looks likely to be involved in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup at Blackpool.

 

Unai Emery’s resources have been stretched over a punishing festive period, but the flipside of an injury list is the opportunity it presents to the likes of Saka.

 

"I am using different players because of injuries, but it is important for us to give chances to the young players," said the head coach.

 

"The young players, like Saka, he has debuted in his last match and he was playing because at the moment we haven’t a lot of players who have the possibility to play wide right or wide left.

 

"Saka is in the academy, growing up with good performances. It is the beginning, I hope, of a long career here in Arsenal.

 

"He is improving a lot and, although he is very young, he is training with us and understanding our tactics with the other players. He is coming with us on a lot of matches and living our moments with the team.

 

"Now he starts to play in the games and also in the Premier League. He is going to have a career but we need to help him also with a strategy for this.

 

"We have other players the same – Emile, Willock, Nketiah - we need to give them chances while thinking about a good performance with a good combination [in the team]. On Saturday I am going to think like that."

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