Bukayo Saka has allayed fears over his fitness ahead of Arsenal's north London derby against Tottenham after completing the full match for England in Thursday's 2-0 win over Serbia.
The winger opened the scoring with a brilliant first-half volley at Wembley, but immediately gestured to the bench, prompting speculation he had picked up a knock. However, Saka revealed after the game he simply needed to change his boots.
“No, I just wanted to change my boots. That was it,” he told ITV. The 23-year-old continued to play the entire 90 minutes, easing concerns for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta ahead of Sunday's derby.
Saka's strike, his 14th goal in 46 senior caps, came after a deflected effort from debutant Nico O'Reilly. “I think it was a performance we can be proud of,” said Saka. “We got the win in the end and we played well. Maybe that was the sweetest volley I've hit for England, but it was top two.”
Fellow Arsenal forward Eberechi Eze also impressed off the bench, hitting the crossbar before scoring England's second with a curling finish from Phil Foden's pass. Eze said: “There's a lot of talent in the team. It's the type of competition you want to be up against. We've got to believe it's possible to win the World Cup.”
England, already qualified, finished their Group K campaign with a perfect record, while Saka is expected to be fit to face Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
