Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand recently claimed that Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is not yet a world-class player, insisting the England international star must replicate his Premier League performances in the knockout stages of the Champions League to become one.
The Gunners fans do not agree, and some of them made it clear to the former centre-back during a flight to Portugal today.
According to The Athletic journalist James McNicholas, Ferdinand is on his flight to Porto alongside some Arsenal fans and they serenaded him with chants of “Saka is world class.”
As Ferdinand admitted, Saka is a top player and he has been unreal, but the former Red Devils star only wants him to prove on the biggest stage that he can dominate.
Arsenal face FC Porto on Wednesday in the first-leg of the Champions League last-16 fixtures, and the 22-year-old will be keen to prove his quality.
The Gunners have failed to impress in the Europa League since 2017-18, reaching the semi-finals twice and final once, and whether they can prove themselves against the big boys in the Europe elite competition remains to be seen.
Arsenal will be hoping to progress to the quarter-finals, and their recent form away from home in the Premier League has been very impressive, so a win against Porto tomorrow is expected even though it may not come easy.
They could be meeting the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in the later stages of the competition if they beat the Portuguese, and the North Londoners will fancy their chances against any club in Europe right now.
Saka must step up in those games to prove to the likes of Ferdinand and other detractors that he is indeed a world-class player, and everyone will be following their campaign in the Champions League with keen interest.
