Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Bukayo Saka is fit and available to start for England, but refused to disclose whether he will be in the starting lineup against Ghana on Tuesday night. Saka has been managing an Achilles injury that has not sidelined him, but has seen him play through pain and appear slightly restricted in his movement.
Saka's fitness and role in the squad
With the fitness issue lingering, Saka did not start England's World Cup opener against Croatia. Instead, his Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke was handed the starting spot on the right wing. Madueke impressed, winning the penalty that Harry Kane converted to open the scoring in the first half. Saka came off the bench and provided a brilliant assist for Marcus Rashford, helping England secure a 4-2 victory.
Tuchel addressed the competition between the two Arsenal wingers in a pre-match press conference: 'It's another big thing on the right wing between Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka, and the beautiful thing is they do it for Arsenal as well. Bukayo is getting better and better, feels no more pain and he is ready to go – without telling you if he starts or comes from the bench.'
Squad fitness and harmony
The England camp now appears injury-free, following the departure of Tino Livramento last week, who was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah. Tuchel also insisted there are no issues within the squad regarding playing time or roles. 'Everyone has trained, everyone is available. No matter whether it's Marc (Guehi) in defence or Marcus (Rashford) and Bukayo, they all bought into it, the team as starters or coming on from the bench,' he said.
Declan Rice's fitness and praise
Another player who was a fitness concern was Declan Rice, who was substituted against Croatia and has been nursing pain in his lower back and hamstring. However, the issue is not thought to be serious, and he will continue to play. Tuchel hailed Rice as one of the best midfielders in the world: 'The point where he is now is one of the very best midfielders in the world. You see a humble, humble footballer, humble, ready to be a team player, ready every day to give energy and good quality into the group and just ready to learn every day. So his career makes him one of the very best at the moment. So proud to be his coach.'
