Gary Neville has expressed concerns over Thomas Tuchel's decision to start Jarell Quansah at right back in England's World Cup clash against Panama, warning that the Liverpool defender is not a long-term solution for the position.
Neville's criticism of Tuchel's selection
Speaking as a pundit, the former Manchester United defender highlighted the 'turbulence' in Tuchel's lineup, noting that the German manager has now used 17 different starters in the tournament despite previously stating he wanted only 14 or 15. Neville, who is widely regarded as an expert on the right-back position, said: 'If you had said to me a couple of months ago that Quansah would be playing right-back for England in a tournament, I would say something has gone badly wrong.'
Injury concerns and squad omissions
Neville pointed out that Tuchel had selected Reece James and Tino Livramento, both of whom have injury-prone records, while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player with 'world class quality'. He added: 'That is where we are right now, England will win this group and win this game but there is some turbulence in there.'
Limited options for the knockout stages
According to Neville, Djed Spence is the only viable right-back option for the remainder of the tournament. 'Quansah is not an option going into the games further into the tournament,' he said. 'I think the reasons he has probably done it today are he is thinking “look, we can handle Panama, Quansah can play there, and Spence can come in for the 32”.'
Keane's warning on versatility
Roy Keane echoed Neville's concerns, warning against relying on 'jack of all trades' players in crucial positions. 'When you start getting into knockout games, you don't want a jack of all trades. You need masters at these positions. That would be the worry going forward,' Keane said.
