Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has urged England manager Thomas Tuchel to bench Declan Rice for the upcoming World Cup round of 32 match against DR Congo.
Scholes believes the team needs a more aggressive tactical approach to compete with tournament favorites like France and Argentina.
>>> Andy Murray Joins Jack Draper as Coach for Wimbledon
England advanced as Group L winners with seven points, beating Croatia 4-2, drawing 0-0 with Ghana, and defeating Panama 2-0.
Rice missed the final group game due to a calf injury but is available for the knockout stage.
Scholes Advocates for Elliot Anderson
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes said: "England don't need to play two sitting midfielders in the next game.
No disrespect to Congo but in those type of games you play as many attackers as possible."
He added: "I think it has to be a straight shootout between Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, and I think I would just go with Anderson."
Scholes questioned Rice's impact on England's creativity, suggesting the Arsenal midfielder's style might limit attacking flow.
"I think he [Anderson] will pass it forward a bit more," Scholes said.
"Think about Rice with Arsenal… he's a great player and a great leader, I get all that. But Arsenal didn't play great football last season either, did they?
>>> GAO Report Reveals F-35 Fighter Jet Readiness Drops to 25 Percent
Rice couldn't get [Martin] Odegaard in the game, so maybe that's transferred a bit to England."
