"He gets kicked and just bounces right back up" – Pundit in awe of Arsenal superstar's professionalism and durability

Former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock has lauded Arsenal superstar Bukayo Saka's fitness levels over the course of the last three seasons.

Saka, 21, has popped up as one of the best offensive prospects in the world in recent times. Apart from his flair and dribbling prowesses, the left-footed attacker's durability has been a major talking point of late.

Last Saturday (August 26), the 28-cap England international set an Arsenal record of 83 successive Premier League appearances. He eclipsed Gunners great and renowned pundit Paul Merson's record of 82 consecutive league appearances between 1995 and 1997.

Speaking on BBC Sport, Warnock lavished praise on Saka for his robustness and longevity in his nascent professional career. He elaborated:

"Bukayo Saka's appearance record is a testament to his professionalism and durability. He gets kicked from pillar to post at times and just bounces right back up and gets on with it."

Sharing further thoughts on the Arsenal wide operator, Warnock added:

"When you watch him, you can just see that he loves football, never wants to miss a game, and is always looking to contribute to the team and what they are building under Mikel Arteta."

Saka, whose current contract is set to expire in June 2027, started his stellar run of consecutive league appearances in his team's 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion back in May 2021. He has started 79 of his 83 straight appearances, coming on as a substitute just four times.

So far this season, Saka has scored two goals in three Premier League starts. He netted an outside-of-the-box effort in Gunners' 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest before scoring against Fulham this weekend.

Saka, who has registered 33 goals and 27 assists in 138 league games, is next set to be in action in Arsenal's Premier League contest against Manchester United. He is likely to start again on Sunday (September 3).

Pundit compares two Arsenal stars, names attacker better than Bukayo Saka

Speaking on ESPN FC, ex-United States international Janusz Michallik suggested that Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli is a better attacker than Bukayo Saka. He said:

"This is how I feel about Gabby Martinelli, there's so much coming from him. He's got a ceiling, to me, like anybody in the world. He does. When I watch him, for me, he's even more talented than Bukayo Saka."

Martinelli, 22, has established himself as an indispensable member of the Gunners over the past couple of seasons. He helped them put up a serious Premier League title push last campaign, scoring 15 goals and contributing five assists in 36 league games in the process.

So far, the Brazilian has scored 33 goals and contributed 20 assists in 134 games across all competitions for the 13-time English champions.