England boss Gareth Southgate has sent a strong message to Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka following the Three Lions’ comeback win in their round of 16 clash against Slovakia.
Saka was moved to the left-back position to accomodate Cole Palmer on the right flank when the Chelsea attacker came on in the game and Southgate has hinted that there could be a repeat of this in subsequent games, should situations warrant so.
Sports Buddy previously reported that Saka had earlier shown reluctance to fill in the left back positions when Arsenal legend Ian Wright initially suggested the approach, as the 22-year-old winger suggested it is not the solution.
What Gareth Southgate said
However, Southgate has stated that he was more than satisfied with how Saka had filled in the role against Slovakia, and he would not rule out using the Arsenal attacker in the position later in the competition.
“We felt that Bukayo at left-back gave us an extra attacking outlet,” Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live after Sunday night’s 2-1 win over Slovakia.
“It is a good option to have. I have to say the courage shown by the players was fantastic tonight,” the England boss added, per The Sun.
