Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta singled out one defender for praise after watching his side beat Olympiacos 1-0 on the road to take an early advantage in the Europa League round of 32 tie on Thursday evening.

The Gunners have endured a frustrating season so far but one of the few positives from the campaign has been the emergence of a couple of young players at the club.

Bukayo Saka happens to be one of the promising prospects who have broken into the first team this season, after being handed his debut for the senior side by former boss Unai Emery.

The teenager was certainly not meant to play at left-back but the fitness woes of Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac have seen him become Arsenal’s regular option in that position.

After his solid display against Newcastle on Sunday, Saka produced another superb show on Thursday night as he helped the team clinch a 1-0 victory over Olympiacos in the Europa League.

After the final whistle, Mikel Arteta revealed he was ‘really pleased with’ the youngster whom he has labelled a ‘great kid’.

“I’m really pleased with the way he’s developed. And I’m really pleased with the way he’s handling these situations because there’s a lot of highlight on him at the moment, but he’s still really humble.” Arteta said, as quoted by Arsenal.com

“He’s still as keen to meet with my assistant, willing to improve. He’s a great kid and he makes big decisions in the final third. He’s not someone who hides. He’s got the vision and the ability to execute when the spaces are really tight. That’s a gift.”

Be the first to receive breaking news about Arsenal!