Darren Bent has identified one Arsenal star who has been performing excellently for his country who will now give Mikel Arteta a selection headache.
Arsenal had 17 senior players on international duty over the past ten days, with many making critical contributions to their nation’s attempts to qualify for the World Cup.
The likes of Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori all performed admirably for their respective countries, while the Gunners’ emerging English core also impressed.
Declan Rice scored against Andorra and registered two assists against Serbia, while Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Myles Lewis-Skelly also featured in both of the Three Lions’ two wins.
Darren Bent says Noni Madueke impressed him for England
Arsenal signed Noni Madueke for £52 million from Chelsea this summer.
The signing divided the Gunners fanbase, with many feeling that investing such a significant fee in a deputy for Bukayo Saka was a poor allocation of resources.
However, Madueke is beginning to win fans over with his performances, after catching the eye at Anfield prior to the international break and performing well for England.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Tottenham striker Darren Bent waxed lyrical about Madueke, describing his showings for Thomas Tuchel’s team as ‘brilliant’.
“I thought Madueke was brilliant over the two games,” he said.
“Tried to be on the front foot, tried to go past his man, create chances, scored a really good goal. He’s now emerged as an England player.”
Madueke netted an excellent goal against Serbia on Tuesday night, perfectly timing his run in behind, driving inside and lifting the ball over the goalkeeper from close range.
This was the icing on the cake for the winger, who was consistently influential in the final third throughout both of England’s games.
He’ll hope to build on this at the Emirates against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta will have a decision to make when Bukayo Saka is fit
Bukayo Saka is currently recovering from a hamstring injury and is expected to return to action before Arsenal’s game against Manchester City in just over a week’s time.
The Gunners’ talisman will expect to come straight back into the line-up and start immediately against the Citizens.
However, Madueke’s performances thus far have been too good for him to be left out of the team, and thus, Arteta will have a decision to make.
Of course, how the 23-year-old performs in upcoming matches against Nottingham Forest and Athletic Club will influence the Spaniard’s decision, but it’s likely to be a selection headache.
It’s possible Madueke is moved over to the left, although this is a role Eze, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are all fighting for.
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