Bukayo Saka failed to make much of an impact at the Etihad (Picture: Getty)
Rio Ferdinand has defended Bukayo Saka after the Arsenal superstar was ridiculed online for his poor performance against Manchester City.
Saka failed to make much of an impact in the huge showdown between the two Premier League title rivals and was replaced in the 78th minute.
Rival fans poked fun at Saka on social media with @Ftbl_AK posting a viral video on X, formerly known as Twitter, which included the caption: ‘Anytime this bruddah ghosts in a big game he starts limping. Who’s blud tryna trick?’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed after the match that Saka only trained one day before the game after he withdrew from the England squad over a knock.
Ferdinand discussed Saka’s performance at the Etihad on his FIVE podcast on Tuesday as host Joel Beya referenced Saka’s failure to register a shot as well as his lack of chances created, successful dribbles and passes into the final third.
‘It was a tight game,’ Ferdinand said as he defended Saka, having previously insisted that the Arsenal star is not a world-class player earlier this season.
‘There was a lot riding on it. These are the games you want him to impact and be the man. But listen, no attacker came off the pitch thinking, ‘I opened that game up’.
Rio Ferdinand does not think Bukayo Saka is a world-class player (Picture: Getty)
‘Gabriel Jesus [had a big chance], on another day, he would have had a tap in. They were all quiet.
‘All the attacking players were quiet, really. It was just one of those games which was a tight, cagey affair.’
Saka was subbed off for Gabriel Martinelli after going down clutching his leg in the second half but Arteta insists he is okay and was only struggling with fatigue.
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‘Nothing serious,’ Arteta said. ‘He was feeling the fatigue. He only trained one day before the match. He had a big contribution but it was a lot, 90 minutes for him today.’
Saka was recently warned that he will be ‘kicked out of the game’ unless he is better protected by referees.
The Gunners officially complained to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in January that Saka was not being adequately protected by officials.
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