sport news Bukayo Saka has proven himself as an elite talent, so how close is he to world ... trends now
England's 2-0 win over Ukraine at Wembley appeared just another day at the office for Buyako Saka, with the 21-year-old adding a goal and assist to his collection this season.
Saka, who is close to becoming the highest-paid Arsenal player on almost £15million-a-season, seems to have nailed down a spot in the England team, despite strong competition in wide areas, having started six of the last seven internationals. His only absence from the starting XI came when he was rested for the final group match of the World Cup against Wales.
The winger has increasing been viewed as one of England's jewels, alongside Jude Bellingham, possessing both goals and creativity.
His form at club level has helped to drive Arsenals' title challenge, which could also lead to individual honours with the winger expected to be a contender for the Player and Young Player of the Year gongs.
Saka has established him as one of Europe's leading young players and prompted discussion about how high his ceiling could be. Sportsmail takes a look at how Saka compares to his peers across Europe based on data from the stats gurus at Delphlyx and the level he must aspire to reach.
Bukayo Saka continued his superb season with a goal and assist for England against Ukraine
Buyako Saka - 12 goals, 10 assists
No-one aged 21 and under has been able to match Saka's output for goals and assists at club level during the season across Europe's top leagues.
Saka became the first Premier League player this season to reach 10 goals and 10 assists earlier this month. The winger scored twice and then laid on Gabriel Martinelli's strike against Crystal Palace to achieve the feat before the international break.
The Arsenal academy product became the youngest Gunner to do so in the process, with Cesc Fabregas having reached double figures for both at the age of 22.
Saka's importance to Arsenal is highlighted by him having played 2,148 minutes in the Premier League this season, representing 96.47 per cent of the Gunners' campaign.
His progress can be shown by a comparison to his performances last season, when he played 87.49 per cent of the time.
Saka became the first Premier League player this season to have 10 goals and assists
This season (blue) Saka has shown an impressive improvement in his goals and assists
The winger has shown his well-rounded game with high rankings for dribbles and crosses
Saka is now scoring more goals per game, despite posting a lower XG than he managed per 90 in the 2021-22 campaign. His creative output has jumped as he registers 0.25 assists per 90 minutes from an xA of 0.15, compared to 0.17 from 0.20.
The majority of his attacking numbers are narrowly up, highlighting a gradual but sustainable improvement.
England boss Gareth Southgate believes Saka's mentality has changed this season, suggesting the winger has become more ruthless as he seeks to become one of Europe's top wide players.
'I just think when he's in front of goal now, he plays with real belief,' Southgate said following England's win over Ukraine. 'That's evident with his club and in his games with us.
'You're expecting him to score now when he goes through and that's been a mentality shift as much as it's anything technical, because he has always had the technique. I think he knows that to be a really top wide player you need the numbers for goals and assists and without a doubt he has delivered that all season.'
Goncalo Ramos - 16 goals, five assists
Portugal and Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos is the closest to matching Saka's overall goal involvements among players aged
