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According to Stan Collymore, England should have another look at their squad if Bukayo Saka can be named as their Player of the Year.
THE LOWDOWN: ENGLAND’S STRUGGLES
England are enduring their worst run of form in decades, having not tasted victory in five matches. Their latest defeat – a 1-0 setback to Italy in Milan – saw them relegated to Pool B of the Nations League. It also means they are yet to score a goal from open play in over 400 minutes of football.
The duo of Declan Rice and Harry Kane have both come out to defend their side. Under-fire manager Gareth Southgate has also expressed his disappointment but insists he remains the best man for the job. And all three men claim England should only be judged after the World Cup and not before it.
However, it is quite clear that the Three Lions are punching below their weight at the moment.
One man who did struggle in Friday’s defeat was Saka. He was asked to play in an unfamilar left wing-back role; quite the ask having performed on Arsenal’s right-wing so successfully for so long.
Just before the game, Saka was named England’s Player of the Year. He scored three times in qualifying for the World Cup.
Indeed, that is a positive for Saka but Collymore suggests it a cause for alarm to see the Arsenal man claim such an award, despite his form.
THE LATEST: COLLYMORE EXPRESSES WORRY
Writing in his Sunday People column, Collymore suggests Saka has only been average for England.
“Bukayo Saka is a reasonable choice as England’s Player of the Year. His attitude and freshness round the camp have been welcome,” he said.
“But, overall, the international performances from the Arsenal kid have been 6/10. For the player of the season to have been at that level going into a major tournament is a worry.”
THE VERDICT: BIASED COMMENTS
Admittedly, it’s a fair point, given Saka and England‘s current form.
If the Arsenal man is to return to his best for the Three Lions though, he will need to be deployed in his favoured right-wing position. It certainly will not happen at left wing-back and that experiment needs to end immediately.
While Saka is worthy of a shirt in his favoured role, it does leave Southgate with an issue at left-back.
Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell continue to struggle for form and fitness, meaning the England boss may turn to right-back Kieran Trippier to fill in there.
