Four years ago, at the tender age of 21, Bukayo Saka scored three goals in four World Cup matches to help England reach the quarterfinals.
But when might Saka take the field for England in this World Cup cycle?
Manager Thomas Tuchel preached patience on Tuesday as Saka, 24, continues to deal with an Achilles injury diagnosed in March while playing for Arsenal in the Premier League.
Tuchel asserted that Saka could, if necessary, compete in England’s friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday in Orlando, but he suggested it might not be ideal considering the goal is for the electric forward to be ready for England’s Group L opener against Croatia on June 17.
“We still have to take care a little bit with Bukayo, who had an injury in the March camp and carried it through to his club campaign,” Tuchel said in a news conference.
Similar to Arsenal, England has been managing Saka’s injury by limiting his training time. He participated in Tuesday’s practice, but not Monday’s.
“He is at the moment not able to do every training session through the week and then play,” Tuchel said. “He is available for tomorrow, but he needs management to be fully, fully 100 percent — which he is not. But he is on a high level.”
Saka played on a regular basis for Arsenal, the Premier League champion, despite his injury. His last match was on May 30 when Arsenal faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final and lost on penalty kicks. Saka started and played through the 82nd minute.
He has not scored since May 5, when he produced the match’s lone goal when Arsenal defeated Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their semifinal.
–Field Level Media
