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Sam Hill

Pundits disagree on Bukayo Saka decision ahead of England's World Cup round of 16 tie vs Senegal

Gareth Southgate has a decision to make ahead of England's World Cup round of 16 tie against Senegal on Sunday. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka enjoyed a strong start after scoring twice against Iran on his tournament debut.

The Gunners forward carried his club form into the World Cup but struggled to have an impact against the USA in England's second Group B fixture. The Three Lions were able to secure top spot in Group B in their final fixture against fellow home nation Wales, but Saka was not involved.

There was a clamour from fans and pundits to see Phil Foden start for England, a demand which Southgate agreed to at the expense of Saka's place in the team. After Foden and Marcus Rashford both scored against Wales, it now remains to be seen whether Saka will get back into the starting lineup for the clash against Senegal.

READ MORE: Can Gareth Southgate replace Ben White in England World Cup squad after Arsenal star departure?

Southgate now has a tough decision to make over his wide players and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville would like to see the England boss stick with Rashford and Foden after the win vs Wales. Neville told SkySports: “I thought he [Foden] did really well because I think there was pressure on him from the moment that game [vs USMNT] finished.

"There was massive focus from everyone, what it felt like, on Phil Foden and on Gareth as well to get him involved. It’s right that he was involved.

"Phil Foden has got the precision of a central midfield player in his passing but plays wide. He can beat a man, he can score a goal.

"We saw that last night, some of the runs he made were fantastic. He won the free-kick for Marcus Rashford’s goal."

Neville has admitted that he is a big fan of both Saka and Raheem Sterling as well, and suggests Southgate could play three out of the four players behind Harry Kane. Neville added: “I would keep those two in, but I love Raheem Sterling and I love Saka as well so I couldn’t really complain.

"Sterling has been a brilliant performer for Southgate. So it’s really difficult to see what could happen, whether we could see two play out of the three and one drop in behind.”

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Dean Ashton disagreed with Neville and thinks Saka is a 'guaranteed starter' for the Three Lions. Ashton said: “Oh yeah, he was so good in that first game, [he’s] arguably one of our most in-form players this season especially.

“For me, he’s a guaranteed starter on the right-hand side. I would then have [Marcus] Rashford on the left, Rashford deserves now his spot after that performance, and even when he came on a sub I thought he just looks so sharp.

“I’d have Foden in the ten because he has to play for me. He just does things that even as an ex-player I’m like wow that’s ludicrous.”

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