Patrick Vieira has praised Noni Madueke, saying there is ‘nobody better’ than the Arsenal man to start on the wing for England at the World Cup.
After beating Croatia 4-2 in their opening game, the Three Lions have turned their attention to the clash against Ghana on Tuesday night, knowing that victory will seal their place in the knockout stage.
Thomas Tuchel is not expected to change his line-up for the match in Boston, with Declan Rice declaring himself fit, while Bukayo Saka is still not yet ready to play from the start.
That means Madueke is likely to start on the right-flank again after an impressive display against Croatia, notably winning the penalty from which Harry Kane opened the scoring.
Don’t miss a World Cup moment
Lionel Messi’s hat-trick. Cape Verde’s heroics. Those Scottish fans.
It’s been a memorable World Cup so far – our daily newsletter helps you make the most of it. Sign up.
The 24-year-old’s selection in the squad, let alone the starting XI, has long been a point of contention, with many fans and pundits disappointed that Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was not picked instead.
Even after silencing the critics on his tournament debut, some doubts remain over the Gunners star, especially after Saka came off the bench to replace him against Croatia and assisted Marcus Rashford’s late goal.
Appearing on the Rest is Football, Vieira was asked if Madueke was the ‘ideal replacement’ for Saka, or whether Palmer would have been a better fit, and his answer was very clear.
‘When you look at England’s first game, I think it was quite positive,’ the Arsenal legend and 1998 World Cup winner replied.
‘We just hope that Saka’s injury is not that bad and he will come back because those players coming from the bench will have a massive impact.
‘The way that they play in the first-half, and I think the role and responsibility of Kane will be quite the same, he’s going to drop. So you expect those wingers to run in behind with pace and you are not going to find somebody better than Madueke to do it.
‘I think we are… maybe the press are a little bit hard on him. But so far, he’s been really positive. And I think there is a really clear idea about how they want to play the game.
‘So if he’s got the same kind of attitude on the field, I think he can still do a really good job for England.’
Beyond Saka and Madueke, Tuchel does not have any other natural right-wingers at his disposal.
There has been suggestion that Morgan Rogers, Rashford or Anthony Gordon could play on the opposite flank, but for now it seems Madueke is locked into start.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.