Two Arsenal stars are competing for the same position in the England team this summer and Darren Bent reckons Thomas Tuchel could spring a surprise.
Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke are vying for the right wing spot for the Three Lions, just as they do for the Gunners.
In Mikel Arteta’s side, Saka is the clear first choice, with Madueke taking the back-up role, ready to fill in when injury or fatigue strikes.
It was expected that Tuchel would see things the same way, but Madueke could get the nod in the starting XI in England’s opener on Wednesday against Croatia.
It’s finally here
Get everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day. Sign up here.
Saka is nursing an Achilles problem, but is available to play, coming off the bench in the friendly win over Costa Rica on Wednesday night, in a match which Madueke started.
‘I think Tuchel likes Madueke, you know,’ former England striker Bent told talkSPORT. ‘Remember Thomas Tuchel’s first couple of games, they were stinkers, didn’t play very well. It was Anderson and Madueke who came out with any kind of [credit].
‘I think he really likes Madueke so it wouldn’t surprise me if he started. I think he’s going to go Madueke.’
Madueke did not necessarily do his chances many favours against Costa Rica, though, remarkably missing a chance after rounding the goalkeeper.
‘That last night epitomised what I’ve seen of Madueke this season,’ Bent said of the former Chelsea man.
‘I call him “‘the nearly man” because he always nearly does something brilliant. The run through was brilliant, the timing of the run, the little drag back with the studs, the last part, which makes it spectacular, he misses the goal.’
It seems likely that Saka is still Tuchel’s first choice on the right wing, but the manager has been clear that the ongoing injury is hampering him.
Speaking ahead of the friendly with Costa Rica, in which Saka played half an hour, Tuchel said: ‘Bukayo is still getting there, playing through discomfort at the end of the season. Obviously managing it and playing at a high level but still not on his 100 per cent. He is the one we are building and taking care of in training.
‘Bukayo is just not there yet. Some things are missing … consecutive trainings. They took very good care of him [at Arsenal] and were very aware of it and we will do a little bit the same. He is at the moment not able to do every training session through the week and then play. He is still going to be managed.
‘Arsenal brought him back [at the end of April] and he was straight away decisive. And then they decided together – Bukayo and Arsenal – to let him play through his pain and discomfort, even if it was not possible to train the whole week in the buildups. I think it is very unlikely Bukayo starts and finishes all the matches from now on.’
Madueke was speaking very confidently after the win over Costa Rica, telling ITV: ‘It was perfect. Acclimatisation to the conditions was probably most important and to win the game by three goals and keep a clean sheet is great going into the tournament. We’re full of confidence, happy with how we played. We’ll look back and see where we can improve as well.’
On the mood in the England camp, he said: ‘Fantastic. Great continuation from all the camps this year. There’s a great spirit in the group. Clear idea of how we want to play.
‘The opposition today was probably different to what we’ll face in the tournament, but at the same time I think we handled our business really well. Three goals and a clean sheet. Perfect.
‘There were a lot of fouls in the game, they tried to be aggressive with us. But we were too sharp, too strong, too quick on the ball and with all our play.’
On his glaring miss, he added: ‘I should have scored one. We definitely had a few chances. But it will come. Better to miss them now than when the tournament starts.’