Gary Neville calls on Jordan Henderson to play key role in shackling Kylian Mbappe… but pundit urges Kyle Walker NOT to ‘go forward too much’ in England’s quarter-final clash with France
Gary Neville has claimed that Jordan Henderson could be the key to stopping Kylian Mbappe in England’s quarter-final clash with France.
The threat of France’s Mbappe has been highly discussed in the lead-up to the match, with many suggesting Kyle Walker would prevent the Frenchman scoring.
But Neville has offered his own unique take and suggested it will be Walker’s team-mate Henderson who will nullify the 23-year-old in the game.
Gary Neville says Jordan Henderson (pictured) can play a key role in England’s quarter-final
Ex-England international Gary Neville provided a tactical breakdown ahead of France clash
Speaking on ITV’s YouTube channel, Neville said: ‘We’ve seen the goals that Mbappe scores when he cuts in.
‘Particularly, if it’s around here and Mbappe is getting the ball in these areas, Jordan’s [Henderson] just got to sit in and make sure he’s waiting for Mbappe on the inside. Just wait for him.
‘Kyle Walker will be out marking Mbappe, Jordan’s go to be sat inside him. If the ball goes to [Adrien] Rabiot, he then can go up.
‘But he doesn’t go up until that ball has been played. Because if he goes up too early, Mbappe will go inside Walker and he’ll be straight onto John Stones.’
PSG forward Mbappe has been in scintillating form throughout the World Cup and is the competition’s leading scorer after his brace against Poland in the last-16.
Mbappe (left) will go head-to-head with Walker (right) but the England ace holds no fear
Neville went on to suggest Kyle Walker should not ‘go forward too much’ during the match
Neville went on to suggest that Man City full-back Kyle Walker – who will be tasked with marking Mbappe – does not veer far from his French counterpart.
‘To be really honest, I don’t think we’ll see Kyle go forward too much. That would, for me, present too big of a risk,’ Neville said.
Though there are high expectations for Walker to stop the threat of Mbappe in the match, the England defender insists he will not be ‘rolling out a red carpet’ for the winger.
‘The game isn’t England v Mbappe, it’s England vs France,’ Walker said in a press conference. We will give respect but I’m not going to roll out a red carpet for him to score. It’s do or die as if we lose we go home.’
Kyle Walker has vowed not to ‘roll the red carpet out’ when he comes up against Kylian Mbappe
The match-up between Walker and Mbappe, the star man at the World Cup thus far, feels like the key ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
Sportsmail columnist Danny Murphy is adamant that England are the ‘best equipped’ nation to nullify Mbappe, given the pace of Walker.
‘He’s done it before in Champions League games and I do remember one situation where Walker invited him up the line because he backed his own pace. I think Mbappe turned down the chance to run at the Manchester City right-back!’ Murphy wrote in his latest column.
‘That’s not to say Mbappe isn’t intelligent enough to try to counter by moving inside and picking on other defenders. England can beat France even with Mbappe.’
Kyle Walker is England’s quickest sprinter in Qatar, recording bursts of 21.3mph in last-16 game
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