Arsenal: Bukayo Saka tops Manchester United star in new ranking

Bukayo Saka has is listed higher than Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood in a new ranking released by the CIES Football Observatory, placing the Arsenal forward as the ‘most promising’ young player in the Premier League.

Gareth Southgate finds himself in a luxurious position. Heading into the summer’s European Championships, there are few international managers with such an outstanding pool of young talent to choose from.

As is the case across rivals fanbases, ‘who has the better young player’ has become a tiring ‘my dad would batter your day’ debate that seeks to one-up those of a different football affiliation with no meaningful result forthcoming.

Supporters will cherish their prospects all the same without the need for external competition. Arsenal have Bukayo Saka in their ranks and he is a generational talent. No debate needed.

Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka tops Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood in CIES Football Observatory Rankings

In all CIES Football Observatory rankings, they make their lists based on ‘capital experience approach’. This factors in domestic league minutes played with the calibre of club they’re employed by.

Mason Greenwood, ranked second for players across Europe born in 2001, is an immense prospect at Old Trafford and will be a Premier League and England regular for years to come. But Arsenal wouldn’t change Saka for the world. United would United.

Making his 50th Premier League appearances in the 1-1 draw with Burnley, his rise to the top in a rapid period of time has been invaluable to Arsenal. He’s been the best player under Mikel Arteta this season and it’s increasingly tough to argue against him being the best at the club full stop.

No player has recorded more assists for the Gunners this season and his eight in the Europa League since the beginning of last season is more than anyone in the competition during that period.

Already an immense footballer vying for a regular international berth, it’s genuinely frightening to envisage how much better he can be given, and it’s so easily forgotten, that he’s only 19 years old.

His value is astronomical, too, with CIES reporting back in January that he’s now worth €116.2million (£105.11m) – more than Harry Kane or Ansu Fati. Arsenal tying him down until 2024 in July 2020 was an increasingly essential move.

The world is Saka’s oyster. His blank canvas. And once again it’s on him to paint a rosier picture in Athens.