Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Bukayo Saka can match Cristiano Ronaldo achievements - 'He is aiming for that'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised Manchester United's new manager, Ruben Amorim, ahead of their Premier League clash in north London on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference, Arteta said he can already see the impact of the Portuguese manager at United, and also said that Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has the capacity to reach the same heights as Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mikel Arteta can already see Ruben Amorim’s "fingerprints" at Manchester United, as the Red Devils prepare to face Arsenal on Wednesday, while he also believes Bukayo Saka may emulate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Amorim travels to the Emirates with his new club as he attempts to secure his first away victory in the United dugout, while for Arteta, it is a chance to build on the momentum created by 5-2 and 5-1 victories against West Ham United and Sporting CP respectively.

Arteta, preparing to face Amorim for the first time since Arsenal's UEFA Europa League penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting in 2023, praised the Portuguese manager’s influence on his new side.

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He told a press conference: "You can see his fingerprints in that. It’s very clear, at Sporting he’s been successful. It’s remarkable after so many years, what he achieved there, and the way he did it, and the way his teams play.

"He brings energy to the club, new ideas. That’s always positive, but we have to focus on what we’ve got to do."

Asked about the previous meeting between Arsenal and Amorim, he dismissed the significance of the earlier match in the Europa League, insisting his side do not seek "revenge".

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He explained: "There’s no revenge, it’s always another opportunity, whether you’ve beaten them or lost against any opponent, it’s always different to the past. We learned that - we played against Sporting a few days ago, and it was very different to two years ago. It has no meaning."

Arteta was also full of praise for forward Saka after he played a starring role against West Ham.

Saka's seven goals and 11 assists so far this season have seen him grow into an increasingly integral player for the Gunners, and Arteta believes the England winger has the potential to match the achievements of United great Cristiano Ronaldo.

"You see when Cristiano started his career, when he joined Manchester United, the first few seasons, people probably didn’t expect him to be able to do that," Arteta said.

"But it was about his mentality, his work ethic, how he developed his skill, his chemistry with his team, and to play in a team that has the capacity to be dominant is very important, so I think he has got that context, and he is aiming for that. I think it’s a positive thing."

Arteta was also asked about Arsenal's tough FA Cup third-round tie against United, and he remarked that in recent seasons his team had been drawn against top sides early on.

"That’s the thing about draws, you can get anybody," he said. "We’re at home, it’s going to be a big match. It’s a bit surreal, the last few years, in the third or fourth round, we already played big opponents. But if you want to do well at this club, you need to beat big clubs.

"We are still very early in the season, any team that has the capacity to put five or six wins in a row is going to be up there. It’s so tough, you see how clubs are struggling with winning, winning and winning."

ARTETA LIKENS SAKA-ODEGAARD TO VINTAGE BARCA

Saka is not the only Arsenal player to have drawn comparisons with some of the greats of the game in recent weeks.

Arteta also likened the forward and his Norwegian team-mate Martin Odegaard to iconic Barcelona midfield trio Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Asked about the understanding between Saka and Odegaard, Arteta said: "I’ve seen centre-backs, I’ve seen midfielders between them having… I always think about Barcelona with Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta - it was unbelievable.

"They didn’t even need to look at themselves. Our two centre-backs - naturally there is a chemistry there that is unbelievable.

"So try to develop those more and more, because there is something there that is very difficult to put a number to it. But it’s close in a natural way and the more relationships you have make the team the better."

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