Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are set to feature for England in their Euro 2024 quarter-final clash with Switzerland.
The pair will come up against former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka, who has admitted his confidence ahead of the tie.
England have been criticised for their poor performances at the tournament so far, with focus on whether Saka should move to left-back, or to the bench in favour of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
Saka assisted England’s opening goal of the tournament, but the attack has since struggled, and questions are now being raised over Gareth Southgate’s tactical setup.
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has also raised a concern over Saka, highlighting that the 22-year-old looks exhausted after starting regularly throughout the season under Mikel Arteta.
Ray Parlour highlights Bukayo Saka fitness concern ahead of England vs Switzerland
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Parlour highlighted how Saka’s campaign with Arsenal seems to have affected him.
“Saka, if he does play (vs Switzerland), I am sure he is going to give his all again,” he stated.
“Yeah, he does look a little bit leggy, he looks a little bit where he has had a long, long hard season.
Parlour then pointed out that Saka being undroppable for Arsenal means that he is naturally going to play a lot of games.
“Mikel Arteta, if he is fit, he has got to play him. He has played loads of games in a short spell in his career,” he added.
Arsenal need to rotate Bukayo Saka more next season
Saka is one of Arsenal’s best players, and is a vital part of the team, but there have been calls to rotate him more, and rightly so.
Arsenal are in the market for a winger who could play on both sides, and potentially provide quality cover for Saka. Federico Chiesa is an option they can now land for a bargain price.
Even beyond a new signing, there are internal solutions which can be used more. Gabriel Jesus can play on the right wing, and with Kai Havertz nailing down the centre-forward position, the Brazilian should be used in the role more next season.
Arsenal chasing Riccardo Calafiori and mystery German target as England face Switzerland
In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed England’s recent victory over Slovakia at the European Championships. With Arsenal players Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka featuring again, Man City star Kyle Walker came under scrutiny.
With Arsenal also linked to Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori, the pair explained why the Italy star could be the perfect fit for Mikel Arteta. Recent social media rumours surrounding a potential Arsenal move for a Germany International were also addressed, with some candidates named.