Gunners midfielder Mesut Ozil has offered a few words of wisdom to Bukayo Saka and the Arsenal youngsters trying to breakthrough under the management of Mikel Arteta.
Teen star Bukayo Saka has been advised to believe in himself, trust in his abilities and turn deaf ears to the doubters. This was said by Germany's World Cup-winning hero Mesut Ozil, who counselled the Arsenal youth players on ways to make the most of their talents.
Despite Arsenal's struggles this term, Saka has had a fine season with the 18-year-old featuring 19 times in all competitions for the senior team. It is in the Europa League that the youngster has truly blossomed, scoring two goals and providing another four assists in just four games.
Mesut Ozil will like to see more of such performances from Saka and the likes of Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles who have been handed first team opportunities this term.
“To any player who makes the step up to the first team, I would just say that the most important thing is to believe in yourself,” Ozil said, speaking to Arsenal.com.
“Of course you will have some days where it doesn’t go so well, but you have to believe in yourself, you have to keep working.
“The most important thing for me was to remember to have fun.
“If you don’t have fun, you’re losing. If you make mistakes, you’ll be disappointed. Don’t listen to anyone, just listen to yourself.
“You know how good you are, so just believe in yourself and have fun.”
