Bukayo Saka has pulled out of international duty with England, remaining with Arsenal to focus on his recovery from a hamstring injury.

England's defender Bukayo Saka (L) and Wales' midfielder Tyler Roberts compete for the ball during the international friendly football match between England and Wales at Wembley stadium in north London on October 8, 2020. (Photo by CARL RECINE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
England’s defender Bukayo Saka (L) and Wales’ midfielder Tyler Roberts compete for the ball during the international friendly football match between England and Wales at Wembley stadium in north London on October 8, 2020. (Photo by CARL RECINE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

England confirmed ahead of the weekend that Bukayo Saka will play no part in England’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Poland in the coming days.

Saka had already been held back for the first game against San Marino, to undergo further assessment with Arsenal. The results of that initial assessment is clearly that it’s not safe to release him for the other two games.

We know that Saka was struggling with injury problems in the build-up to the current break. He picked up a hamstring issue against Tottenham Hotspur, missing the Olympiacos clash the following Thursday.

Though he returned to action with a start against West Ham United, he came off after 74 minutes.

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Mark Mann-Bryans reports that it’s not a ‘recurrence’ of the hamstring injury, just a case of Arsenal managing it as an ongoing issue. There’s also no suggestion of any rift between the club and the FA, dialogue has been positive so far.

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