Saka injured but will start World Cup anyway

The England manager is still planning to start Saka against Croatia, despite accepting he is not fit enough to play a full 90 minutes.

Bukayo Saka is still struggling with the Achilles problem that disrupted the end of his Arsenal season, but Thomas Tuchel is still planning to start him in England’s World Cup opener against Croatia.

The Arsenal winger has been dealing with the issue for months and is not considered fit enough to play a full 90 minutes.

England’s final warm-up match against Costa Rica takes place on Wednesday, with their World Cup campaign due to begin against Croatia on June 17.

Tuchel told reporters at his pre-match press conference, “We still have to take a little bit of care for Bukayo [Saka] who had an injury in March and carried it through to club. He made himself available at the end of the season and did so brilliantly but he was managed in between matches; that continues a bit at the moment. We are building him up.

“Noni [Madueke], Declan [Rice] and Ebs [Eze] are 100 percent available.

“We just came from training and everyone was involved including Bukayo. We have to take the decision in the afternoon on who starts and how many minutes we give.

“They [the Arsenal players] came in very good spirit and shape. I feel them as proud and confident. They know what they did. They had a little period where it was in doubt and they overcame it. It meant a lot to them. They understand they went toe-to-toe with the best team in the world against Paris Sant Germain and lost in the shootout.

“They came in the best spirits and they are happy with that.”

It leaves Arsenal with an obvious concern before the tournament has even started. Saka’s Achilles problem ruled him out for a month and seven games during the domestic season, before he returned towards the end of April.

The issue did not prevent him finishing the campaign, but the fact that it remains a concern heading into the World Cup underlines how carefully his minutes will need to be managed.

For England, Saka remains too important to leave out if he is available. For Arsenal, the priority will be that he comes through the tournament without the problem worsening, particularly after a season in which another key player, Jurrien Timber, has already seen his summer ended by injury.

Timber was forced to withdraw from the World Cup after failing to recover from the groin injury he suffered against Everton in March.

Saka is not in the same position, with Tuchel still intending to use him from the start against Croatia. But the confirmation that he is carrying a long-running Achilles issue will do little to ease Arsenal concerns before a tournament that will place another heavy load on one of their most important players.

• Arsenal revive interest in Kroupi ahead of January window
  Arsenal are reportedly ready to revive their interest in Eli Junior Kroupi, but Bournemouth are reluctant to sell the forward during the January window.
• Mikel Arteta’s Unstoppable Red Machine
  Arsenal’s away record tells the story of a side transformed under Mikel Arteta, with Anfield providing the latest evidence of a harder, more ruthless team.
• Former Arsenal youngster’s star wanes as goalscoring dries up
  Former Arsenal striker Mika Biereth is struggling for minutes at Monaco after his explosive start in France, with his future now increasingly uncertain.
• Arsenal manager and players up for Premier League monthly awards
  Recognition has followed Arsenal’s perfect October, with three key figures now in the running for Premier League awards.
• Arsenal v Hull VAR is unwelcome appointment
  Michael Oliver will be on VAR for Arsenal against Hull City, an appointment likely to revive memories of some of his most controversial Gunners decisions.