Patrick Vieira has strongly defended Noni Madueke, insisting there is 'nobody better' than the Arsenal winger to start on the right flank for England at the World Cup. The 1998 World Cup winner's comments come after Madueke helped England to a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match.
Madueke impresses on World Cup debut
The Three Lions now face Ghana on Tuesday night in Boston, with victory guaranteeing their place in the knockout stages. Manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to keep faith with the same starting line-up, as Declan Rice has declared himself fit. Bukayo Saka, however, remains unavailable to start, meaning Madueke is likely to retain his place on the right wing.
Madueke's performance against Croatia was highlighted by winning the penalty that Harry Kane converted to open the scoring. Despite this, his selection has been controversial, with many fans and pundits preferring Chelsea's Cole Palmer. Even after his solid debut, some doubts persist, especially after Saka replaced him off the bench and assisted Marcus Rashford's late goal.
Vieira's strong backing
Speaking on The Rest is Football, Vieira was asked whether Madueke was the ideal replacement for Saka or if Palmer would have been a better fit. The Arsenal legend replied: 'When you look at England's first game, I think it was quite positive. We just hope that Saka's injury is not that bad and he will come back because those players coming from the bench will have a massive impact.'
'The way that they play in the first-half, and I think the role and responsibility of Kane will be quite the same, he's going to drop. So you expect those wingers to run in behind with pace and you are not going to find somebody better than Madueke to do it.'
Vieira added: 'I think we are… maybe the press are a little bit hard on him. But so far, he's been really positive. And I think there is a really clear idea about how they want to play the game. So if he's got the same kind of attitude on the field, I think he can still do a really good job for England.'
Limited options on the right
Beyond Saka and Madueke, Tuchel has no other natural right-wingers in his squad. Suggestions have been made that Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford, or Anthony Gordon could play on that flank, but for now, Madueke appears to be the first-choice starter.
