Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has compared Bukayo Saka to Ryan Giggs after his assist for Arsenal’s winner against Olympiakos yesterday evening.

The 18-year-old delivered a pinpoint cross for Alexandre Lacazette to put the ball away ten minutes from time, and van Persie says the accuracy of the pass was top-drawer:

“Ryan Giggs used to give those passes, Dennis Bergkamp, Paul Scholes. This is like ordering your striker to move into the danger zone. It’s actually world-class. Really, really good. This is not simple. This is very good, world-class. He makes it look easy but this pass – like I said, only the great players can give those passes.”

“Most crosses there would be kicked away by the defender and would be shot too high or too low with no idea. But this is a pass with an idea. This is a pass with a message, and that is what you want from your players.”

Saka now has nine assists for the season, with four of those coming in the Europa League. Considering the majority of his time in the first team has been played at left-back, that is quite an achievement.

The teenager has been forced to play in the backline due to injuries to Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac but after the match last night, head coach Mikel Arteta confirmed that the plan is to play the England Under 19 international in more forward positions in the future.

Saka has certainly shown he is more than ready to play a key role further up the pitch, and while there is a long way to go before he can be truly compared to the likes of Giggs, there are some promising signs that he could be a very good first team player for the Gunners.