Arsenal Star Makes Messi, Ronaldo Comparison In Plea Over ‘Dangerous’ Saka Issue

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has pleaded with Premier League referees to provide more protection for his teammate Bukayo Saka while making reference to superstars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar.

Saka was again one of the stars of the show for the Gunners in their 4-2 comeback win over Aston Villa at the weekend, bagging a scorching half-volley to level the score early on.

Zinchenko believes opposition defenders are targeting Saka unfairly and says officials need to clamp down on rough treatment being dished out to him.

READ ALSO: Supercomputer Rates Arsenal, Manchester United Chances Of Winning Premier League

The 21-year-old reacted angrily to one tackle from behind by Philippe Coutinho and was then booked.

Zinchenko believes teams are trying to “provoke” Saka and feels the England international is not being given enough protection.

Speaking after the win, Zinchenko said: “Bukayo is an unbelievable player, all the full backs from the other teams they know he’s so dangerous, so they try to provoke him, tackle him and the referees should know this,” said Zinchenko.

“We can speak about [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano [Ronaldo], Neymar and players like this. The referees need to protect this kind of player.

READ ALSO:  Gary Neville Raises Serious Concern For Arsenal Amid Premier League Title Challenge

“Apart from Bukayo, we have other forward players who are so dangerous and the referees need to be careful, they need to look after them of course.”

Only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have more goal contributions than Saka’s 17 [nine goals, eight assists] in the league this season, while he ranks in the top 10 for number of fouls.

The 21-year-old has been fouled 40 times in 23 games, and Zinchenko is worried defenders are starting to target the unstoppable youngster.