Ruben Loftus-Cheek is better than Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ian Wright concluded following England’s 0-0 draw with Germany.
Loftus-Cheek, who has been loaned out by Chelsea to Crystal Palace for the season, made an impression on his England debut.
The 21-year-old looked confident on the ball and will now be a serious contender to be in the England squad for the World Cup.
Speaking after the match, Wright questioned Chelsea’s logic after they allowed Loftus-Cheek to depart and then signed Bakayoko from Monaco for £40million.
‘I watched Bakayoko the other day up front or playing further forward against Manchester United and he never done anything in that game that made me think that he’s a better player than Loftus-Cheek,’ the Arsenal legend told ITV.
‘Now I’m not knocking Chelsea because Chelsea can do whatever they want but the fact is that surely you’ve got to give the guy a chance. I’ve seen him and he’s better than Bakayoko for me.’
Speaking after the 0-0 draw at Wembley, which was entertaining despite the scoreline, England manager Gareth Southgate spoke highly of Loftus-Cheek.
‘He’s a player I’ve watched do that from Under-16 level. Despite his size and appearance and the way he plays, he’s not hugely confident at times. I think it took 10 minutes for him to look around and think “I can do this”.
‘He has so many good attributes, that’s why we put him in. I don’t think the wider public would know much about him, you’d have to follow him closely, but we believe in him.’
MORE : England 0-0 Germany: Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham flops as Ruben Loftus-Cheek runs the show
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