“If he wants Buckingham, I’m afraid the king has to leave” – Fans salute England star for stunning display in 7-0 win over North Macedonia

England winger Bukayo Saka has been lauded by fans after his masterclass in the Three Lions' 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia on Monday (June 19) in an UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier at Old Trafford, Manchester.

The 21-year-old scored the first hat-trick of his professional career, in a captivating performance. He also became the first and youngest Arsenal player to do so for the national team since Theo Walcott in 2008.

All three of his goals were excellent, but the second was one to cherish. The Gunners attacker chested the ball down on the edge of the box before smashing past North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

Saka has taken his international tally to 11 goals and seven assists in 28 caps. It comes after a remarkable season with Arsenal, where he registered 15 goals and 11 assists in 48 games across competitions.

Harry Kane (2), Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips were also on target for Gareth Southgate's side as North Macedonia were put to the sword. The Three Lions remain perfect on their quest to qualify for the Euros next year after four games.

They're atop Group C and are making massive strides towards the European Championships. Their performance has many touting them as potential winners of next year's finals in Germany.

However, it was Saka's performance that has made all the headlines and deservedly so. Fans have lauded his outing, with one tweeting:

Here's how Twitter reacted to Saka's scintillating showing for England against North Macedonia:

England legend Jamie Carragher talks up Saka's connection with Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold started the 7-0 mauling of North Macedonia in midfield once again. The Liverpool midfielder is being used in the role by Southgate and has flourished in the last two games.

Former England defender Jamie Carragher likes what he's seeing from Alexander-Arnold and his growing partnership with Saka. He tweeted:

Alexander-Arnold failed to get on the scoresheet but was impressive throughout. He and Saka worked well in tandem and were standout performers on the night. The versatile Liverpool defender provided one assist and made one key pass.

He also completed five of six long ball attempts and could be a long-term fixture in Southgate's midfield. Jurgen Klopp may also consider the 24-year-old for the role at Anfield if he continues to perform well for England.

The duo will now rest till pre-season starts with their clubs in July. They head into the break with magnificent performances for the Three Lions.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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