Noni Madueke is a ‘nearly man’ – England boss Thomas Tuchel should have left him at home and called up Cole Palmer instead.That’s the view of ex-Three Lions striker and talkSPORT host Darren Bent, who thinks Palmer would have provided ‘star power’.Palmer should be in the England squad over Madueke, according to BentGettyMadueke was selected over some big names by Tuchel when he announced his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup.The German opted to leave Palmer, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs-White out to include him in the set-up.He has since started two of the Three Lions’ games at the tournament so far, featuring in all three of them.The Arsenal winger hasn’t had a hand in a goal yet though, and he was substituted when England needed one against Ghana.It has raised concerns that Madueke lacks an end product that his nation will need, with Bent voicing his doubts.Bent and World Cup Breakfast co-host Andy Goldstein weighed up England’s options out wide ahead of their meeting with DR Congo in the last 32 on Wednesday, live on talkSPORT.Noni ‘the nearly man’Goldstein asked whether the wide positions have become a problem area for Tuchel‘s side, amid some criticism of Madueke and Anthony Gordon following the group stages.Bent replied: “A little bit. If Bukayo Saka is 100 per cent fit, then the right side takes care of itself… he’s never let England down.“Quite clearly you can see he’s been carrying something, he’s been nursing his injuries for a while. “I’d start Marcus Rashford over Gordon anyway, he’s better. There’s a bit of unpredictability about Rashford, outside, inside. Madueke has been labelled a ‘nearly man’ as England’s World Cup knockouts beginGettyPalmer was left out by Tuchel, but Bent would swap him in for Madueke nowGetty“They would be my first-choice pairing, but you look beyond that and look at Madueke and Gordon…“Watching Madueke all season, he’s a good player, but I call him the nearly man… three Premier League goals this season, eight in total.“But everything he does is nearly. A prime example, I think it was a friendly for England, he rounded the goalkeeper and hit the post… the first bit was beautiful, the easy part, he hits the post.”Goldstein then asked if he would swap him for Palmer now, and Bent said: “Yeah, you would do it. Palmer has that star power. “But Madueke is there now and Tuchel really likes him…“If you know the manager shows faith in you, it’s such a nice feeling to go: ‘Well, regardless of what everyone else says, the most important person in this situation is the manager and he thinks I’m good enough’.”Madueke remains confident in his own ability amid doubts over his performancesGettyBrimming with confidence Amid the doubts over Madueke and whether he can be a key player for England in the World Cup knockout stages, the 24-year-old himself certainly believes that he can make a difference.In a press conference before the Three Lions’ clash with DR Congo, he was asked whether he feels he is capable of stepping up.The former Chelsea forward replied: “You have to feel like that, you’re a top player, you’re here for a reason.“You’re playing for your country on the biggest stage and you have to have that excessive confidence in your ability because, at the end of the day, alongside your teammates on that pitch, it’s down to you to deliver.“Whatever gets you in that mindset to be able to do that, I feel like that’s good.”World Cup WhatsAppDon't miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings. Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.