Gareth Southgate has named his final 26-man squad for the upcoming EURO 2020 and one of the more surprise inclusions into the squad is that of Bukayo Saka.
Bukayo Saka is the only member from Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad who has made it into the final squad for England but many people have started questioning Southgate’s choice to bring the 19-year-old on board.
The Gunners have had a really poor season this time around both in the Premier League as well as in Europe and many people feel Saka will just be excess baggage for the European Championships. Yes, most of the Arsenal players have been really average this season but the England boss has now come out to try and explain why he chose to name Bukayo Saka in the 26-man squad.
“Firstly he’s performed exceptionally well for us and performed well in a team that’s had a difficult season,” Southgate said, as quoted by The Mirror.
“Sometimes young players can go into teams that are playing well and flourish. He’s gone into a team that have had a tough season and have really played with character as well as skill.
“Again we saw when he had to come on in Belgium [last autumn] real personality in his performance. His adaptability, the fact he can play four or five different positions is a real plus for us.”
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Bukayo Saka has played in 32 Premier League games for Arsenal this season, scoring five and assisting four goals and for most of the season, he has been the first-choice right-winger for Mikel Arteta.
Someone who has managed to keep Nicolas Pepe on the bench for most of the campaign surely deserves a place in the England squad for the Euros.
Also, the versatility of the youngster is unparalleled as he can play as a right-winger, a left winger and also as a left-back(if needed).
It’s still not sure in what role the England manager sees him but we doubt if Bukayo Saka will get too much game time in either one of the above-mentioned roles. On the right hand side of attack, he will be surpassed by Jadon Sancho, on the left by Jack Grealish and Rashford and at left-back, Saka can never climb above players like Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell.
