Noni Madueke reveals England’s key quality that will be ‘crucial’ for World Cup success | OneFootball

Noni Madueke believes the World Cup could be a tournament for substitutes as England prepare for their big kick-off against Croatia on Wednesday.

Thomas Tuchel has strength in depth in the 26-man squad heading to Dallas on Tuesday ahead of their Group L opener.

Madueke is vying with Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka for a starting spot on the right, but there will be some big names on the bench with Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham all competing for spots in Tuchel’s starting XI.

With the heat and truncated games due to water breaks, matches could be won by players coming off the bench.

“I feel like we have such an amazing team, where everybody knows how good they are,” Madueke told talkSPORT.

“So it’s not like you’re going to be on the bench and you’re rubbish.

“It might be that the opponent suits one player better, or someone is in form.

“But if you look at the last game (against Costa Rica), how the subs came on and won the game for us so easily, that’s the strength in depth we have.

“It’s going to be crucial for this time.”

Madueke was picked for his versatility, with the England management team liking his ability to play on both wings.

Noni Madueke during an England training session in Kansas City (Getty)

He has performed well for England under Tuchel and believes he is on the way to becoming one of the best wingers in the world, knowing he needs to add more goals to his game.

“I want to be more ruthless. I feel like to go to that level where I’m one of the best wingers in the world, I need to score more, need to assist more,” he added.

“I feel like I do so much for the team, irrespective of that. But definitely, as a winger, you want to score as much as possible.

“If I could score every game, I would.

“I feel like the level I’m at now, that’s the next step to go to. And I’ll definitely get to that.”