Bukayo Saka and Xavier Amaechi have been pulled out of the England youth teams at Arsenal’s request, Daily Cannon sources have confirmed.

On Tuesday, rumours on Twitter emerged that both Bukayo Saka and Xavier Amaechi had been pulled out of the England u18 squad for an upcoming tournament at Arsenal’s request. Daily Cannon have since had those reports exclusively confirmed by sources close to the situation.

It appears Arsenal want to keep the two players available for the Europa League final. New rules for this season allow a fourth substitute in extra time and 12 substitutes on the teamsheet for the final, so it makes sense to keep as many fringe players available for the match as possible.

Plus, the chance to travel with the first-team squad to a European final isn’t one that comes around very often, so it’d make for a great experience regardless of whether they get on the pitch.

Saka and Amaechi are two of the biggest talents in the academy at the moment, despite their limited senior minutes this season.

Left-winger Saka scored 14 goals, provided 10 assists and won three penalties for the academy in 2018/19. The 17-year-old was also Arsenal’s man-of-the-match in his first senior start in the Europa League group stage, but he hasn’t received many opportunities after that.

Meanwhile, right-winger Amaechi spent the first half of the season out injured, but still managed five goals and five assists in 15 starts for the youth teams. His performances have reportedly drawn interest from around Europe and they earned him a senior debut in the friendly against Al-Nasr in March.

Let’s hope the duo are ready to make an impact in the event that they are called upon on the big day!