Bukayo Saka reflects on Freddie Ljungberg impact in Arsenal development

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka has admitted that he still keeps in contact with former player and coach Freddie Ljungberg despite the Swede no longer being a part of the club.

Speaking with ESPN following the London Football Awards, where Saka was named Young Player of the Year, the 19-year-old England international revealed that he is still in regular contact with Ljungberg and that the two regularly communicate with one another, with the Invincible title-winning winger being key to the youngster’s development with the north London club.

Ljungberg managed the teenager at youth level as the Arsenal cult hero took over the head coach role for the U-23s in the 2018/19 season, the year Saka made his first-team debut for the club, and the winger has not forgotten the impact the Swede has had on his career, with their relationship still blossoming to this day.

Saka said on the former Arsenal winger: “Freddie texts me sometimes, just to encourage me. If I have a good game, he’ll say ‘congratulations Bukayo, well done’. Of course, I ask him how he is as well. We still keep in touch because I had a really good relationship with Freddie. Just because he’s not part of the football club doesn’t mean the relationship should die.”

TBR View: Ljungberg’s role with Saka and U23 was key to current golden generation at Arsenal

Saka might be the most exciting player to come out of Arsenal’s academy in recent years, but he’s far from the only name to have made an impact in the first-team that was managed by Ljungberg at youth level.

Indeed, the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Joe Willock were all coached by Ljungberg in the 2018/19 youth season, with Arsenal coming second in the Premier League 2 table that season, and his management over these players gave them the platform they needed to succeed in the first-team game, which they and Saka have all done with flying colours.