“He didn’t touch one ball in ten minutes!” Emery remembers young star’s first Arsenal game | OneFootball

Unai Emery has recalled giving Bukayo Saka his Arsenal debut and praised the England attacker for his humility and development.

Saka has emerged as one of Arsenal’s most important players this season, with the Gunners relying on him to get them out of trouble in some games.

He was handed his Arsenal debut by Emery in the 2018/2019 season and the Spanish manager has now recalled being “amazed” by him even before he touched a ball in his first game.

Emery was speaking to Football London and said that Saka impressed him with his willingness to run constantly in that game.

When he started playing more often, one could tell that he was developing into a top player at the club.

Importantly, he is humble and listens to those above him, an attribute that Emery has credited with helping him in his career so far.

Emery told Football London: “I remember when Bukayo played the first match with us in January. We won against Fulham 4-1 at the Emirates, he played for the first time with us at 17 years-old for 10 minutes.

“He didn’t touch one ball in ten minutes! He ran, ran, ran but didn’t kick one ball – it was amazing.

“When he started playing regularly you could look at him and see he’s a very good player. He’s progressing as a very important player and he is a very humble person.

“It’s very important because some other players don’t have the same humble qualities as him to always want to learn, listen and follow us.

“Bukayo was amazing as a person and a player. You could tell he’s a very intelligent, smart kid too.”