Ian Wright shuts down Gary Neville as Bukayo Saka position change suggested for Arsenal

Ian Wright was quick to downplay Gary Neville's suggestion that Bukayo Saka should play on the left to accommodate Noni Madueke. With Bukayo Saka currently out with a hamstring injury, the former Chelsea winger started on the right in each of England's World Cup qualifiers this month.

Madueke, who Arsenal signed from Chelsea for £52m in the summer, caught the eye over the international break, firing the Three Lions to wins over Andorra and Serbia. The 23-year-old forced an own goal from Andorra's Christian García González at Villa Park before finding the net a few days later at the Rajko Mitić Stadium.

Having impressed, Neville suggested Mikel Arteta could look to move Saka to the opposite flank once he returns from the treatment room. In the meantime, Madueke looks set to fill the Hale End graduate's shoes, giving Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze the chance to battle it out for a spot on the left.

Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, the Manchester United legend said: "He's obviously a lot better on the right and that was clear when Saka went off the other week. Could Saka play on the left?

"Martinelli's struggling a little bit on that left-hand side, could Saka go back on the left and leave Madueke where he is? You can see quite clearly Madueke looks a hell of a player on that right-hand side.

"(Against Serbia) some of his runs were really top level. I was looking at it as a full-back and thinking, 'Oh, I didn't know he had that, I didn't know he had that'.

"He's the young kid. Saka's the experienced one and the best player, let's be clear. Does the best player swap with him and do half an hour on the left and switch over a bit?"

Wright quickly shut down the suggestion. The Arsenal legend replied: "Don't ask me about Saka playing on the left, I'm not even commenting on that. With everything that Saka has done up to this point on the right, you'd move Saka on the left and move Madueke on the right?"

On Madueke, Neville added: "I’ll be honest with you, when Arsenal signed him, I’d seen him play quite a lot at Chelsea. I thought, 'I can see why Chelsea sort of let him go'. I tell you, what a different player at Arsenal and in the England games in the last few weeks."

Speaking to reporters after the Serbia game earlier this week, Thomas Tuchel commented on Madueke's performance. The England boss said: "He has the speed and he has the ability to win one-vs-one duels.

"I’m very happy that he scored today and was involved in goals because this is something he needs to add to his game: efficiency, being involved in goals with assists and finishes and goals.

"So that’s why I’m very happy today because he played with a hunger and with a directness. On top of that, he needs to stay focused and I’m most happy about his attitude today.

"The reaction after ball losses, the work that he put in to help Reece [James] because we played a back four against a back five, so to help against the wing-backs and to push forward and do pressing.

"The work-rate is what I like the most in his performance today and, yeah, from there he’s fast, he’s direct, he likes to dribble. That’s what we want from him."

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