Arsenal boss Arteta delighted with Saka form: Support received pushed him forward

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is delighted with Bukayo Saka's form this season.

Arteta was worried about Saka after a testing summer but immediately knew his talented youngster would be fine after their first meeting before the start of this season.

The 20-year-old suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak for England in the final of Euro 2020 and then received racist abuse on social media.

Arteta said, "His reaction was incredible and then the support he had from everybody in football was something that gave him a big lift.

“It gave him a lot of reassurance and security. It really pushed him forward to say 'okay this is just part of the journey'."

Arteta added: “What I see is not only Bukayo but young boys with incredible enthusiasm and passion for this club, that are really willing to bring success.

“They are dealing with a lot of difficult situations in a great way but that shows as well the education they had, the background environment, the families they have and how supportive the club have also been with them throughout their careers.

“It is not normal at that age to be able to do what they have been doing and we have to be prepared for when they cannot cope with something. We have to be there straight away to identify that and act straight away."