With Arsenal‘s American ownership and the globalisation of football, Saka is their franchise player.

But, with that profile and the club’s reliance on him, when things are not clicking, the questions come.

The England international has only two goals since the turn of the year. He has played 17 games and missed three matches with a hip injury.

And, before his goal in the 2-2 draw against Wolves last month, when Saka played as a number 10, he had not found the net for 15 games in all competitions. He has scored six league goals in 27 appearances this season.

Saka has played a lot of football in his career. The appearance against City in the final was his 305th for Arsenal in all competitions.

But that is exactly what his manager Mikel Arteta wants from him: reliability.

In 2022, when asked about giving Saka a rest, the Arsenal boss pointed at the number of games the elite players in football play.

“Look at the top players in the world. They play 70 matches – every three days – and make the difference and win the game,” he said.

“You want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that.”