In all three of England’s Euro 2024 group stage matches, Bukayo Saka has appeared.
Ian Wright on Match of the Day (Image: BBC)
Ian Wright, a former striker for Arsenal, has proposed that England would gain from using Bukayo Saka as a left-back in Euro 2024.
Saka has started all three Lions matches—against Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia—on the right wing, but he hasn’t played the entire ninety minutes as Gareth Southgate struggles to distribute playing time among his array of attacking options.
Cole Palmer replaced the Arsenal star during Tuesday’s goalless draw with Slovenia, and in the 19 minutes the Chelsea player was on the pitch, he left a lasting impression.
Saka’s spot in the squad may be impacted by requests for Palmer to start for England in their Round of 16 match this weekend as a result of this cameo performance. Wright suggested, “With how naturally left-sided Saka is, can we put Saka at left-back and Palmer on the right-hand side?” as a potential way for Southgate to overcome this position.
Naturally, Saka began his Arsenal career in this role before being sent to the wing, so he wouldn’t be entirely unfamiliar with it. Due to injuries sustained by Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac in the 2019–20 season, the academy graduate was given the opportunity to fill in for them.
The 22-year-old earlier said, “It’s not my natural position, but he’s [Arteta] given me all the advice I need,” when discussing how he found this experience.
Because of the differences in his system, I gained a lot of knowledge about how Premier League wingers operate against defenders and how to position myself. When the winger gets inside, I get to play at a much higher level.
It’s nice for me that there’s a lot of space for me. When we have the ball, I sort of play like a winger, but when it’s not in play, I have to go back and work on things like heading and clearing that I haven’t worked on in my entire life. Right now, I think I’m doing alright.
“I think I understand how full-backs play, and having played as a full-back myself, I know what wingers do and what I like and don’t like them to do,” the player said. “If I do get to move back onto the wing in the future. For me, it’s a worthwhile educational experience.
