Saka compared with Messi, Salah

Former Chelsea midfielder, Joe Cole, has compared Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to Lionel Messi after England were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine in Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifying.

Saka put up another impressive performance for the Three Lions despite the result.

The 22-year-old came close to securing all points but his powerful effort came back off the crossbar.

This week, Saka made the 30-man shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or and now Cole has ranked him alongside some of the best forwards in football.

“You can’t defend [against Saka] because he’s got this ability like Lionel Messi where he takes it backwards.

“So the defender, you can stop him but he takes it back and he’s still got the ability to whip it with so much power.

“There’s only a few [players] – Mo Salah’s got it, Lionel Messi’s got it and Bukayo Saka’s got it. When he gets in that position, he’s clinical,” Cole