Ian Wright and Gary Neville clashed over an idea the Manchester United icon has for Bukayo Saka.
Neville isn’t shy of sharing his opinion of Arsenal, whether it be constructive or just criticism.
The most recent complaint that pundits have had about the Gunners is Mikel Arteta’s game plan against Liverpool, tactics that were branded conservative.
The defeat at Anfield is now a thing of the past, so, in light of the international break, Neville turned his attention to the positives he saw from Noni Madueke when playing for England, sharing how he believes Bukayo Saka could be impacted.
Ian Wright responds to Gary Neville’s plan for Bukayo Saka
Madueke was tremendous for England over the September international break, recording two starts and two goal contributions against Andorra and Serbia.
It was a period of international duty to remember for the winger, who is already proving to be a transfer gamble worth taking by the Gunners.
The only problem is that Madueke is so clearly better suited to the right, a position that is solely Saka’s in the Arsenal squad.
Speaking on the latest Stick To Football episode, Neville asked Ian Wright whether Saka could take the left side to accommodate Madueke.
“He’s obviously a lot better on the right, and that was clear when obviously Saka went off the other week. Could Saka play on the left?” Neville asked the Arsenal legend.
“Oi. Don’t ask me about Saka playing on the left. I’m not even commenting on that,” Wright replied furiously.
Neville went on to explain his thoughts, bringing Gabriel Martinelli’s struggles into conversation.
“If you think about it, obviously, Martinelli’s just struggling a little bit on that left-hand side. Could Saka go back on the left?” he asked.
Wright had little time for what Neville was saying, standing firm with his opinion that Saka’s spot on the right wing should not be debated.
“So you’re saying, with everything that Saka’s done up to this point, playing on the right, you’d move Saka on the left and put Noni Madueke on the right?”
An Arsenal starting XI without Saka on the right side is something that just isn’t thought about, but does Neville have a point?
Saka should be wary of Noni Madueke’s rise
The truth is, in football, no player should feel completely safe due to the risk of complacency.
It’s why Arsenal knew they had to bolster their squad depth in the summer to keep competition in the team healthy.
- READ MORE: Pundit reckons Mikel Arteta could make a change at Arsenal that will really ‘freak’ opponents out
What’s bewildering is that no one thought it would ever impact Saka, but Madueke’s rise can’t be dismissed purely because of how impressive Saka has been.
Sure, there’s unlikely to be any risk that the winger could be moved away from his favoured position any time soon, but it certainly pushes the Hale End product to continually evolve.
It’s a situation that Arteta will love to entertain, and the reason why Madueke was purchased in the summer, making the season all the more thrilling.
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