Thomas Tuchel told to bench Bukayo Saka for Premier League rival in shock call

Noni Madueke gives England a ‘greater chance of winning’ than any other player, and should start ahead of Bukayo Saka.

That is the view of talkSPORT’s Ally McCoist, who heaped praise on the £52million summer signing after his star performance in the Gunners’ 4-0 win over Leeds on Saturday.

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Madueke was a late addition to the starting XI at Elland Road, as he was drafted in following an injury to Saka in the warm-up.

And the 23-year-old seized his opportunity, creating Martin Zubimendi’s opener with a wicked delivery from the right wing.

He then saw his corner punched into the Leeds net by Karl Darlow for the second goal, with this being awarded to Madueke retrospectively.

It saw the winger continue his impressive start to life in an Arsenal shirt, whose arrival from London rivals Chelsea raised eyebrows among fans to begin with.

Brought in to provide squad depth and cover for Saka, Madueke has staked a claim for a starting berth with some strong displays.

His performance against Leeds only strengthened his case, and there are now calls for the Englishman to start ahead of his compatriot at both club and international level.

‘Madueke has done more’

After his stellar showing against Leeds, talkSPORT Breakfast host Ally McCoist backed England boss Thomas Tuchel to name Madueke in his starting XI in this summer’s World Cup, instead of Saka.

Saka was a mainstay on the right wing under former Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate, and has retained his role since Tuchel took charge of the team in March.

However, when asked if Madueke should start on the right flank for England, McCoist immediately replied: “Yes.

“Yeah, right now. If it was a game tomorrow, if we’re playing a quarter-final or a semi-final or any tournament, I’m starting Madueke.”

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While McCoist backed Madueke to make the shirt his own, he insisted this wasn’t due to a dip in performance from Saka.

The 24-year-old has scored seven goals in all competitions for the Gunners this season, and provided a further seven assists.

The Scot continued: “I need to balance it by telling you, the wee fella hasn’t done an awful lot wrong. And I think he’s tremendous.

“I love Saka. But I just think at this moment in time, Madueke has got a greater chance of winning you a game than anybody else, maybe in the team at this moment in time.

“The other side [the left wing], they’ve got a problem. Because, I mean, what are the other options?

“You’ve got some great talent there, whether it’s [Anthony] Gordon, [Jack] Grealish, Saka, Madueke, [Marcus] Rashford.”

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Discussing England’s depth of options on the wing, McCoist then tipped West Ham star Jarrod Bowen for a spot on England’s plane to the summer showpiece in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

He added: “I’ll fling another one in. I’ll tell you who I would be taking, but I’m not sure he’ll go.

“I would take Jarrod Bowen – I would definitely take Jarrod Bowen.”

Hammering home his argument for Madueke, McCoist added: “But starting on the right-hand side now, do you know something? It’s a great argument and it’s a great discussion, because there’s no real right or wrong.

“You’re talking about really talented, gifted players. And as I say, Saka’s done nothing wrong, really, to get himself out of the team. 

“But I’m of the opinion probably right now that Madueke has done more to get himself in the team.”

Saka vs Madueke in numbers

With both of Arsenal’s right-wingers staking serious claims for a starting berth in Tuchel’s England team, it is worth looking at Saka and Madueke’s impact at club level.

Saka has enjoyed more playing time for Mikel Arteta‘s side, and has notched four Premier League goals and provided five assists.

Meanwhile, Madueke has featured on just eight occasions from the start in the league, with his first goal and assist both coming against Leeds at the weekend.

But the summer signing has made an impact in other competitions, scoring three times in the Champions League for the Gunners in four league phase games.

Madueke has outscored Saka in Europe, who has notched twice in six games, but has also registered two assists in the competition.