Noni Madueke intimated on Thursday that his battle with Bukayo Saka for both club and country is not personal.

"It's competition," said Madueke, whose early-season momentum was halted by an innocuous knee injury in September.

Thomas Tuchel is a firm admirer and rewarded the attacker's perseverance - he marked his last England outing with his first senior international goal against Serbia in Belgrade - with a start.

However, his involvement was short-lived as after accidentally injuring Uruguay defender Joaquin Piquerez, he was forced off on 38 minutes following a heavy blow to the face.

Given Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are also striving to solidify their seat on the plane to North America, you cannot say with any degree of certainty at this stage that Madueke will make the cut.

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He blew hot and cold on his big night to impress and Arsenal will now be sweating on his condition as they prepare to embark on their season-defining run-in.

Madueke's return of seven goals and four assists for the Gunners is credible but in a season where Saka has looked fatigued and lacked his usual sharpness, his forward colleague has shown no real signs of displacing him.

It was wretched luck but you couldn't shake the feeling that this was a huge opportunity missed for him to make his mark.

On the other flank, Marcus Rashford did exactly that. He looked hungry as his twisted, turned and drove at the Uruguayan defence.

Given Raphinha has just been ruled out of both of Barcelona's Champions League quarter-finals due to a muscle strain - now could be the perfect time for Rashford to hit form.

The 28-year-old sparkled in Qatar, scoring three goals and on the basis of this electric first-half showing, he could prove to be a real asset for Tuchel this summer.

As things just appear to be clicking for Rashford, it's hard not to feel sympathy for Madueke, who has shown flickers of promise throughout the season.

He is not short of confidence and is a very effective dribbler but competition for places in wide areas is fierce for both Arsenal and England and momentum in the final few months of the campaign is incredibly important.

His September knee issue, sustained in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City, came at a terrible time as he'd rapidly settled into his new surroundings to make an early impression under Mikel Arteta.

Madueke left the field holding his jaw but also tapped his left knee. It looked precautionary but England will have to adhere to concussion protocols ahead of Tuesday's friendly versus Japan.

The Arsenal forward will be chomping at the bit for a second bite at the cherry.

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