Gary Neville and Ian Wright have both moved against the idea that Noni Madueke should lose his place for England's meeting with Mexico. Neville went furthest, saying the Arsenal winger is currently a better starter than Bukayo Saka. Madueke has started both of England's first two matches, and he now goes into Mexico vs England with two high-profile voices backing him to stay in the side.

Neville and Wright's case for Madueke

Neville was blunt on the right side of England's attack. "I think Madueke, at the moment, is a lot better than Saka in terms of starting," he said, before adding: "I agree with you, I think he has to start on the right. He's the one."

Wright also backed the winger, calling him "the best out of the wingers at the moment". Jill Scott added that she liked what Madueke offered against Congo DR, saying: "I did like Madueke today, I think he put some decent balls in."

The selection case is not built on one cameo either. Madueke has four World Cup appearances and 246 minutes, so the argument for keeping him in the XI is based on a decent run of games rather than a fresh impulse.

England's winger debate before Mexico

The wider picture is still messy. Thomas Tuchel sent on Saka and Anthony Gordon while England were trailing 1-0 against Congo DR, and the double change worked, with Harry Kane scoring an inspirational second-half brace to drag England over the line.

That is why the right and left sides are being discussed separately. Wright said he would go with Marcus Rashford and use Gordon as a late option, while Saka has been managing an Achilles injury in recent weeks. The injury note does not settle the debate on its own, but it does keep the conversation alive around who starts and who finishes games.

Madueke's rating of 7.07 is stronger than Saka's 6.75, and Gordon's 2 assists against Congo DR give Wright's impact-sub view some weight. England's final call for Mexico is still the real one that matters, and Tuchel has a selection decision to make before Mexico vs England on Monday, 6 July 2026.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 12 outlets. How we work →