Micah Richards reveals the reason Bukayo Saka gets picked for England over Cole Palmer

Micah Richards believes Bukayo Saka’s defensive qualities mean he will continue to get the nod over Cole Palmer in Gareth Southgate ’s England team. The Arsenal winger had endured a quiet tournament up until Saturday’s quarter final against Switzerland.

Deployed in an unfamiliar wing-back role, Saka justified Southgate’s faith with a devastating display, capped by the sensational goal which kept the Three Lions in the tournament. Palmer, meanwhile, showed flashes of promise during a late cameo after he was brought on during the closing stages with England chasing an equaliser.

Both players, meanwhile, successfully converted their penalties in a 5-3 shootout win which teed up a semi-final against Netherlands on Wednesday. Despite Palmer’s emergence, Richards is confident it is Saka who Southgate will continue to trust with a starting berth against the Dutch.

He toldThe Rest is Football: ‘I was a little bit worried when he was playing at wingback. I thought england would go into that sort of negative mindset where they would drop a little bit deeper but they were brave. ‘And Saka when he was going inside, when he was going outside, he took his goal so well. We’ve seen it so much for Arsenal this season.

‘I think in terms of goalscoring after Kane, I think Saka’s the most important. He does make an impact and it’s not just what he does on the ball, it’s his strength as well and his defensive ability. ‘I think that’s why Southgate trusts him so much. We talked about Cole Palmer, and a lot of people on social media and a lot of fans are calling for Palmer to start but when you’ve got Saka and he’s so consistent and he can give you balance.’

Southgate, meanwhile, was full of admiration for Saka after he stepped forward to take a penalty, despite the agony he went through in the final against Italy three years ago. ‘I gave him a massive cuddle on the pitch,’ Southgate said. ‘Of course I’m pleased for everybody, but for him especially when his went in.

‘That takes courage but we have belief in him. We had belief in him previously. He’s now got a lot more experience of those pressure moments and his all-round performance was exceptional. ‘The detail of how he had to defend, track and be in the right positions was very complex down that side of the pitch. Then to give us the outlet in those one against one situations, we felt could be a real advantage for us. ‘He did, he kept that positive note, so, yeah, his performance was immense.’