England star Bukayo Saka has been urged to "cheat" like Lionel Messi when the Three Lions take on France on Saturday evening.
Gareth Southgate's lock horns with the defending world champions, with a spot in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup up for grabs.
While all the pre-match hype has been on how stop France star Kylian Mbappe, former Liverpool star Adam Lallana claims Saka will be a key player but needs to take notes from Messi.
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"If it appears as though he [Messi] is not doing anything and leaving everything to his team-mates, then that ignores the fact he is constantly looking, scanning and taking pictures of the pitch in his head," Lallana said in his coloumn for the Times.
"Then, when he does get the ball back, Messi is fresher than anyone else and capable of weaving his magic. He may walk the most, but he is also taking in the most information. He could well be the cleverest player who has ever played the game.
"Yet when people mention it, the implication tends to be that he is cutting corners with his team, whether that is Argentina or at club level with Paris Saint-Germain.
"You often hear people say, 'This player cheats out of possession. He doesn't defend properly.'"
Lallana has also warned Southgate should not try and use Saka to help stop Mbappe.
"There has been so much focus on how to stop Kylian Mbappe, but England do not want Saka doubling up with right back Kyle Walker every time the French attacker gets the ball.
"If he does that, then Saka is going to be too deep and he is not going to be as effective on counterattacks, which is one of his great strengths.
"I do not see England being inhibited by their opponents and so Saka will, once again, have a key role to play at both ends of the pitch."
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