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Bukayo Saka in England squad: Arsenal FC youngster 'honoured' by first call-up

Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

A grateful Bukayo Saka spoke of his honour after earning a first call-up to the England squad following a string of fine performances for Arsenal.

After making his Premier League debut in January 2019, the versatile 19-year-old locked down a place in Mikel Arteta's side, playing a key role in an Arsenal side that showed great improvement on the way to winning the FA Cup.

With Kieran Tierney and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now largely dominating the left-flank, Saka has been limited to just three appearances for Arsenal so far this season.

However, the youngster proved his value across a number of positions in a standout breakthrough campaign, in which he scored four goals and provided 11 assists in 39 games across all competitions.

Saka took to social media to express his delight at earning a spot in Gareth Southgate's latest squad, writing: "Honoured and grateful to get my first England call up!"

England play three home games during the October international break, with a friendly fixture against Wales to precede pivotal Nations League ties against Belgium and Denmark.

Saka will compete with Arsenal team-mate Ainsley Maitland-Niles for a spot, though Chelsea signing Ben Chilwell will likely be the first-choice at left-back.

Elsewhere, Harry Maguire has also returned to a larger-than-usual England squad, though there is no place for either Phil Foden or Mason Greenwood after they breached the squad's bio-secure bubble following the 1-0 win over Iceland last time out.

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