England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that the mass withdrawal of Arsenal players from international duty appears 'suspicious', but insists he has full trust in the honesty of his own squad members Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
A total of 11 Arsenal players have pulled out of their respective national teams, including Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber, Piero Hincapié and Martin Zubimendi. For England, Eberechi Eze withdrew before Friday's 1-1 draw with Uruguay, while Noni Madueke limped out of that match and has returned to his club. Rice and Saka reported to camp late on Saturday but were sent back to Arsenal after medical assessments.
Tuchel acknowledged the optics of so many Arsenal players withdrawing, especially given the club's packed schedule as they chase a first Premier League title in over 20 years. 'Everyone can do the math and it's a lot of players, of course. During the situation, it looks a bit suspicious,' he said. 'But I can only talk for our players. I still have 100% trust in the honesty of Bukayo and Declan. We did medical tests. I saw them. I have no reason to believe that Declan is not honest with me. I have no reason to believe Bukayo is not honest.'
The England boss revealed that Rice has been playing through discomfort for some time, while Saka was in pain during the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. 'Declan feels a discomfort since quite a while, and he’s playing through it, and he’s just now on the edge. It’s the same with Bukayo. He played in pain through the Carabao final and we could see that he had not the same impact that he wishes to have for his club against Man City,' Tuchel explained.
Regarding Madueke, Tuchel suggested his injury is more serious, potentially keeping him out for 'some days and maybe some weeks'. However, he stressed he is not angry with the players, noting that many stayed with the squad for treatment and meals before departing. England face Japan in their final friendly on Tuesday before heading to the USA for the World Cup.
