Fans Baffled At Gary Neville Dropping England Star In His Three Lions XI For Ukraine Clash

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has stunned fans by dropping Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka from his England XI for the Ukraine match.

Gareth Southgate's men will clash with Ukraine in their Euro 2020 quarter-final tie at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Saturday.

Neville previously sparked controversy by leaving Aston Villa star Jack Grealish out of his England XI to face Germany in the last 16.

Grealish was on the bench for the Germany clash, but the 25-year-old was subbed on in the second half for Saka.

And the England international made an impact as he assisted Harry Kane, with the Three Lions sealing a sensational 2-0 win over Germany at Wembley.

Now, Neville has taken to Twitter again to share his England XI ahead of the Ukraine clash.

Read More:

• Gary Neville reveals his surprise England player of the tournament

The 46-year-old Sky Sports pundit revealed that he would leave Saka out of the starting XI.

Instead, Neville would start Manchester City star Phil Foden in his place alongside Raheem Sterling and Kane.

Saka, 19, was on the bench for England's opening Euro 2020 clash against Croatia at Wembley.

However, the Arsenal starlet was left out of England's squad for the 0-0 draw against Scotland at Wembley.

Southgate handed Saka his first Euro 2020 start against the Czech Republic and the England international rewarded the faith his manager placed in him with a superb performance.

Read More:

• England player ratings vs Czech Republic: every player marked out of 10 as Bukayo Saka stars

Saka's omission from Neville's starting XI rattled England fans, who took to social media to question the decision to start Foden ahead of him.

One Twitter user posted: "Do you have something against our star boy Saka?"

Someone else tweeted: "What's your thinking about leaving Saka out?"

A third argued: "I'd switch Foden for Saka and Mount for Grealish. Still think Saka's pace would be useful, even against a side who will be looking to defend deep."

While a fourth added: "Saka has been better than Foden."

And a fifth wrote: "Not think Saka keeps his place?"

Neville revealed his back four against Ukraine would be Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.

The former England international would keep the midfield partnership of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.

Finally, Neville would play Mason Mount behind Sterling, Foden and Kane, but he also admitted that the Chelsea star could be left out for Grealish.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football, Euro 2020, UEFA, Bukayo Saka, England, Gary Neville

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9