‘Very direct’ – Bukayo Saka warned he may be dropped for Arsenal teammate in England World Cup XI

talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara has questioned if Bukayo Saka will remain a guaranteed starter for England after a strong Noni Madueke display.

Madueke scored his first international goal for the Three Lions during their 5-0 thrashing of Serbia in 2026 World Cup qualifying.

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Head coach Thomas Tuchel has selected him in back-to-back starting XI’s, with the Arsenal star earning a 9/10 in the talkSPORT ratings.

Madueke’s squad call-up came amid the omission of teammate Saka, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The 24-year-old has netted 12 times in 44 England appearances since making his senior debut in 2020 in a 3-0 friendly win over Wales.

However, O’Hara raised doubts over Saka and his future on the right of the Three Lions attack after being left impressed by Madueke.

“Saka starts for me, right?” said Jason Cundy on The Sports Bar. “But a lot can happen between now and the end of the season.”

O’Hara replied: “Does Saka start? I know he’s a brilliant football player but Madueke, he’s very direct, and I like that at international level.

“When you’ve got a player who will just go at you, run in behind you.

“Saka likes the ball to feet, and he’s brilliant with it. I like Madueke and [Anthony] Gordon, I like the way they run in behind.

“I like the way they’re direct with the ball, they’ll go at players, tonight I saw a bit of freedom.”

When Saka and Madueke have played together for Arsenal so far, the former has featured on the left with the latter in the opposite side.

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Madueke started on the right in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool due to his teammate’s injury, but they could reunite in the coming weeks.

It’s a pairing that former England captain Stuart Pearce is a fan of, so much so that he has named them in a provisional World Cup XI.

How could England line up at the World Cup?

Pearce said the criteria involved with his line-up included all available players for England being full fit to play at the tournament.

“I would put [Jordan] Pickford in goal,” he revealed. “I would probably, and this is a tough call for me at right-back.

“But I’d probably edge on [Tino] Livramento, with a proviso that he’s got room for improvement. I think he can improve and be a top quality player.

“At the heart of the defence, I would probably… [Marc] Guehi’s a given, it’s him and somebody else, I really like this kid. I would play John Stones alongside him.

“And at left-back, I still think Luke Shaw’s the best left-back we’ve got, if he’s fully fit and available.”

When asked about Declan Rice playing in midfield, Pearce said: “Not as a holder. For me, he’s got to play further up the pitch as a no. 8, alongside [Jude] Bellingham in that central area.

“As a holder, I think you’ve got a choice of two. You’ve got [Adam] Wharton and [Elliot] Anderson at the moment.

“I’d probably just err on Anderson because of what he did with the U21’s in the summer especially, and what he’s doing at [Nottingham] Forest.”

On the attack, Pearce said: “Well, Harry Kane’s a given up front for most, for everybody.

“I would play, on the right-hand side Saka. I think he’s been outstanding for England over a long period of time. And on the left-hand side, I’d play Madueke.”

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England are closing in on qualification for the World Cup and need just five points from three games to secure their spot.

They return to qualifying action away to Latvia in October, with their final two matches against Serbia and Albania following a month later.