Mikel Arteta praised Bukayo Saka for his recent form on Saturday, amid the suggestion of a possible England call-up from reporters.

Everton's French Defender Djibril Sidibe (L) challenges Arsenal's English striker Bukayo Saka (R) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 23, 2020.
Everton’s French Defender Djibril Sidibe (L) challenges Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (R) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in London on February 23, 2020. (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)

There’s no doubt England u19 international Bukayo Saka is in great form at the moment. The young winger-turned-left-back recently hit his 10th assist of the season, to go along with three goals in his first full campaign for the senior side.

Unsurprisingly, the talk of a possible senior England call-up is starting to intensify.

England don’t really have a nailed-on left-back, with Ashley Young playing as a wing-back at the 2018 World Cup. Ben Chilwell is stepping in, for the most part, but behind him the options are pretty weak.

Saka doesn’t have a single England cap, but he’s performing in the Premier League week in, week out. It’s something for Gareth Southgate to think about ahead of the March international break. Reporters asked Mikel Arteta for his thoughts yesterday.

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“I don’t know,” Arteta responded. “He deserves a lot of credit for the way he is playing, because he is playing with a lot of courage as well.

“You could see the other night that in difficult moments he wanted to make an impact and he wanted to make risky decisions to try to generate goals. And that’s been him.

“He’s been very consistent with his performance, which at that age normally is not a common thing, but yes, I’m really pleased with him. I don’t know (about an England call-up). That’s not up to me to decide.”

England’s pre-Euros fixtures

gareth southgate
England manager Gareth Southgate

England play four times before the Euros, twice in the March break, and twice in June. You’d expect Southgate to have his squad sorted by June though, using those matches as preparation rather than auditions.

As a result, if Saka wants to make the final squad, he probably needs to play for them this month. Here are the upcoming England fixtures:

  • England vs Italy – 27th March
  • England vs Denmark – 31st March
  • Austria vs England – 2nd June
  • England vs Romania – 7th June
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