Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has attempted to play down concerns over his fitness ahead of England's World Cup opener with Croatia, reassuring fans he is 'ready to go' and 'feeling better than he has in months'.
The 24-year-old winger has been managing an Achilles problem sustained with Arsenal in March, meaning he has not been able to train on consecutive days for either club or country. It has left Saka's involvement in England's upcoming clash with Croatia in some doubt, with Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke given the nod on the right of Thomas Tuchel's attack for the Three Lions' final warm-up match against Costa Rica.
A week out from the Group L contest, Tuchel admitted Saka was still some way from reaching '100 per cent', while revealing how the forward's fitness was being 'carefully' monitored to prevent further injury.
'We still have to take care a little bit about Bukayo, who had an injury in the March camp and carried it through into his club campaign,' the England boss told reporters prior to the 3-0 win over Costa Rica. 'He was available and made himself available at the end of the season, and did this brilliantly, but he was managed in-between matches and that continues a little bit at the moment, so we're building him up.'
Tuchel added: 'Noni is 100 per cent available, Declan [Rice] is 100 per cent available and Ebs [Eze] as well. Everyone was involved in training, including Bukayo. Everyone made themselves available. So we have a full choice and we need to take the decisions now in the afternoon who actually starts, and how many minutes we will give to the players. But they came in a very good spirit and they came in very good shape.'
Tuchel's comments were put to Saka at a press conference this evening, with the wait for England's opening World Cup clash almost over. 'I don't want to say anything that obviously goes against the manager,' Saka replied with a grin. 'What I would say is that between Mikel [Arteta], Arsenal's medical team and England's medical team since March, they've managed me amazingly and helped me get back out on the pitch to do what I can for the team. Yeah, I'm feeling better than I've felt in the last few months and I'm ready to go.'
Pressed on whether he felt he was '100 per cent' fit, Saka responded: 'I'm ready to go, man.'
Though keen for a strong performance against Croatia, Saka highlighted how a statement start was not necessarily the be-all and end-all when looking back at previous World Cups. 'Yeah, I think that would be a big boost [if England win in style versus Croatia],' he added. 'I remember in Qatar we did exactly that, we started very sharp and it gave us a lot of confidence. But at the same time, it's not how you start… you've seen that in the past with other winners. But yeah, we're just focused on winning on Wednesday and taking it from there.'
Saka could be in line to win his 50th senior England cap if selected against Croatia, an achievement not lost on the Arsenal academy product. 'I still remember my debut, how fast it's all gone,' he remarked after correcting a reporter who had wrongly suggested he was still only on 48 caps. 'This is my fourth major tournament now and I'm very proud and happy to be able to say that I'm on 49 caps and I have the potential this summer to get it over the line and get 50. Not many players have done that, especially so young, so I'm proud and I'm just looking forward to this tournament now.'
In the wake of a memorable club season with Arsenal, Saka stressed that his priorities had switched and seeing out a successful World Cup with England was now his sole focus. 'It was an amazing feeling winning the Premier League, obviously,' he went on. 'With the Champions League it was important not to let that loss allow us to forget what we'd achieved as a club. But yeah, now I'm here at the World Cup with England and now that's what all the focus is on, trying to win the World Cup and getting a second star for the country.'
