Freddie pride as Arsenal starlets go head to head
Saka to face his old Gunners academy pal Musah tonight
FREDDIE LjungbERg will find his heart beating faster than usual tonight. not because he is nervous about the result as England face the uSA at Al bayt Stadium. but because his heart will be bursting with pride.
Two of his former players are set to go head to head and Ljungberg won’t be able to take his eyes off it.
Fresh from his brilliant brace in England’s opening win over Iran is bukayo Saka. On the other side, his former Arsenal team-mate Yunus Musah will line up for the uSA.
both are products of Arsenal’s Hale End academy. both played under Ljungberg for the same team during his time as a youth coach at the club.
It will be a gratifying night for Ljungberg as two of his fledglings try to outwit each other on the biggest stage of all. but as he concedes, it will not be a patch on the emotion that will course through his former players’ veins.
‘It is unbelievable to see, it’s really cool,’ Ljungberg (right) told Sportsmail.
‘but for them it will be so much bigger and better. It’s a special day for both of them.
‘It is amazing to see two players from the Arsenal academy that played with each other from when they were 14 or 15 years old now playing against each other when they are 19 and 21 on the biggest stage of the World Cup.
‘The steps they’ve taken compared to five or six years ago shows how quickly it can go in football.’
Saka and Musah’s career paths are contrasting. Saka is Arsenal’s jewel in the crown — emerging from their youth set-up to become arguably their most important player.
Musah did not quite make the grade, leaving for Valencia in 2019 without making a first-team appearance. That said, leaving north London has been the making of Musah, who has made 82 appearances for the La Liga outfit at 19. not that Ljungberg ever doubted he would become a top player. ‘Yunus was put up a couple of age groups to play in the team with bukayo because I thought he had the talent,’ said the Swede. ‘He was a bit younger and worked really hard. Yunus left when I went to germany. It was sad Arsenal let him go. It’s nice to see him making a name for himself.’
For Musah, the feelings are mutual. ‘ Freddie Ljungberg was a great coach, a huge inspiration for me,’ the forward said. ‘One day he got us to watch an “Invincibles” movie. It was incredible to see what they achieved.’
Saka and Musah could have been England team-mates. At one point, the FA thought they had pipped the uSA to the post only for Musah, who played for the Three Lions until under 18 level, to confirm his decision to snub England in november 2020. England’s loss has been America’s gain — Musah is a key player for gregg berhalter’s team.
‘both of them are thinking forward, always positive,’ added Ljungberg. ‘Always listening. Always trying to make things better. They never blame anyone else but themselves.’