Saka reveals why he 'keeps getting up' after being targeted by EPL rivals

Bukayo Saka has defiantly claimed that 'the hunger to win' drives his determination to rise from the canvas whenever felled by overly aggressive defenders.

The 22-year-old is routinely on the receiving end of robust challengers from opponents, and despite social media jibes for regular sightings of him hobbling late on in games, he is rarely absent from Arsenal's starting XI.

Saka has missed only two Premier League games in the last three seasons, with both coming during this campaign.

The winger claimed that his desire to succeed enables him to deal with the blows and he opened up on his thought process when assessing which challenges to contest.

'The hunger to win keeps me going, that’s why I keep getting up,' he told The Guardian. 'I’m physically much stronger than I was four or five years ago. For each tackle I have more experience in terms of which ones to go for and which ones to jump, to try to avoid a big tackle. So I’m much smarter as well.'

The England international has equalled his tally of 14 league goals achieved during a startling campaign last term, though, in recent weeks his production has fallen, with only two goal contributions in his last six outings.

Following Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa earlier this month, Saka was mocked by fans for limping again during a big game after dropping a 'stinker'.

One said: 'Death, taxes, Saka limping after a stinker.'

Another said: 'Every great player has their signature move. Unfortunately Saka aint great and his is limping.'

'Bukayo Saka Limping after a stinker it’s inevitable,' one tweet read, while another said: 'Bukayo Saka limping off after yet another 0 goal contribution performance in a big game.'

But despite a recent individual drop off, the Gunners have