England international Eberechi Eze has hailed his teammate Bukayo Saka as a "special player" as the Arsenal forward eyes his first World Cup start against Panama on Saturday.
Saka has featured as a substitute in England’s initial two matches, having arrived at the tournament managing an Achilles injury that hampered the latter stages of his domestic season.
The 24-year-old displayed his vibrancy during a cameo in the goalless draw with Ghana, almost breaking the deadlock.
With Noni Madueke failing to make an impact, a starting role at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey could now be within Saka’s reach. Eze believes his unique talent could be crucial in breaking down what is expected to be another defensively organised Central American side.
"He’s an incredibly talented player, and his level of understanding of the game is insane," Eze stated.
"I feel like he’s a player who makes the right decision a lot of the time, and he’s so effective, so efficient. I enjoy playing with him a lot, because you always know what you’re going to get from him, you can always link up with him and he’s a fun player to play with."
Eze attributed Saka’s exceptional decision-making to his development.
"I’d say his decision-making is just experience and his learning growing up. I feel like that’s something that he’s probably worked on from a young age, and when you’re just seeing it now, we see it in the high stage. It’s definitely a difficult skill to cultivate, so he is a special player."
England will be looking to secure victory over Panama to conclude Group L, which would guarantee them top spot and a last-32 tie against a third-placed team from another group.
Equalling or bettering Ghana’s result against Croatia would also achieve this. Despite the disappointing draw with Ghana in Boston, Eze insists the team’s focus remains unwavering.
"I don’t think it makes a difference for us personally," he affirmed. "I feel like we’ll set out to win regardless, so going into the game with the same mentality, the same focus, you’re not going to drop your focus regardless of it being the last game. We’ve got the same goal, the same aim, and we’ll be going to achieve that."
