Noni Madueke’s World Cup selection has not been without controversy.
The scepticism has been loud and clear, and not without reason, it should be said.
Some have questioned why a player who cannot get into his own club’s starting XI has been picked in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
Others cannot understand why Cole Palmer hasn’t gone to North America instead of him.
Madueke managed eight goals and four assists in 43 appearances across all competitions this season.
Having missed two months with a knee injury between September and November, he has struggled to really nail down a spot in the team, and has spent much of the campaign as a squad player.
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And yet, circumstances have a funny way of creating opportunities nobody saw coming.
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Bukayo Saka, Madueke’s direct competition for the right flank, is still carrying an Achilles injury sustained in March.
Tuchel has admitted that Saka is unable to train on consecutive days and has been playing through pain, raising serious questions about his ability to last full matches.
With Cole Palmer and Jarrod Bowen both left out of the squad, Madueke is the only natural right-sided alternative.
If Saka is struggling, Madueke won’t just be coming off the bench. He will be starting.
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What lets Noni Madueke down is his consistency. He is still quite raw, he is not quite goal-hungry enough, and tactically, he is less reliable than Saka.
But he has delivered in moments, and shown he is capable of so much more. He’s certainly good enough to play for England.
His substitute appearance in the Champions League final against PSG was more impactful than Saka’s time on the pitch.
He drove at Nuno Mendes relentlessly, and drew what many felt should have been a penalty in extra time.
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Tuchel himself has cited his ability to make a difference from the bench as a key reason for picking him.
After all, it is exactly the role he has honed under Arteta at Arsenal, coming on with fresh legs when Saka tires, using his pace and directness to cause problems for defenders who have already been running for seventy minutes.
At a tournament played in sweltering heat, that kind of impact substitute can be the difference between an early flight home and a deep run.
England have their final warm-up against Costa Rica on Wednesday, before their campaign opener against Croatia on 17 June.
Madueke goes into his first major tournament with something to prove and, depending on Saka’s fitness, potentially a starting berth to claim.
His critics have been dragging him all season. The stage is there for him to prove them all wrong.
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