Ian Wright urges Arsenal duo to withdraw from England national team squad after friendly fixture against Brazil
Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes the Gunners' Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka should return to the club from international duty after England's friendly game against Brazil. The Three Lions are slated to play the Selecao (March 23) and then Belgium (March 26) over the next seven days.
Rice and Saka are regular starters for England, but Wright feels they should both return to the north London club, keeping in mind the crucial part of the domestic season.
Speaking on Sky's Stick to Football podcast, Wright agreed with Neville that key players for Arsenal and Manchester City will probably return mid-way through the international break.
Neville said (via Mirror):
"I'll make a prediction, either Declan, Saka, [Phil] Foden - I've got a good feeling that they will pull out of the second game [against Belgium on Tuesday]."
Wright added:
"Yeah, I think they should."
Arsenal and Manchester City are vying for the Premier League title alongside Liverpool this season. Currently, the Gunners lead the league table with 64 points after 28 games. Liverpool are in second place with the same number of points, but are behind on goal difference. City are third in the league table with 63 points after 28 games.
Both Arsenal and Manchester City are also in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League where they will play Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, respectively. Liverpool will play Atalanta in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League. City will also face Chelsea in the semifinals of the FA Cup.
How have Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka performed for Arsenal this season?
English winger Bukayo Saka has been the best goal-scoring outlet for Arsenal this season. He has registered 13 goals (top scorer for Arsenal) and eight assists (top assister for the Gunners) in 27 games in the league this season.
Declan Rice, on the other hand, has made a brilliant impact as a defensive midfielder for the Gunners this season. He was signed last summer from West Ham United for a club record fee of £105 million (via Sky Sports).
Rice is averaging 2.0 tackles and 4.8 ball recoveries per game (via Sofa Score). He has also been dribbled past only 0.6 times per game this season along with 1.5 clearances per game. On the offensive front, Rice has registered six goals and six assists in 28 games for the Gunners in the league this season.