Bukayo Saka urged to ‘cheat like Lionel Messi’ to help England beat France in World Cup 2022 quarter-final

Bukayo Saka should take a leaf out of Lionel Messi’s book and “cheat” off the ball in England’s World Cup quarter-final with France, according to Adam Lallana.

The former Three Lions midfielder has pinpointed how Argentina talisman Messi is regularly accused of not working hard enough off the ball - but believes that is the key to his success.

He wrote in The Times: “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.

“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’.

“Believe me, at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp would want Mohamed Salah to ‘cheat’, when it came to the defensive side of their game.”

Lallana believes Saka, who is expected to line up on the same wing as Kylian Mbappe, can remain higher up the pitch instead of tracking back to provide England with an attacking spark on the break.

He continued: “When it comes to assessing Bukayo Saka’s role against France, there will be times when Gareth Southgate will want him to ‘cheat’.

“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 counter-attacks, which is one of his great strengths.”