Saka Willing to Risk Fitness for England

Bukayo Saka stated he will continue to gamble with his fitness and is "ready to go" for England's World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday. The Arsenal winger has been dealing with an Achilles injury since March, which has resulted in managed game time for both Arsenal and the England national team. Saka missed the March international break due to this issue and sat out seven games for Arsenal but returned to help his club win the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.

England manager Thomas Tuchel mentioned the importance of monitoring the 24-year-old's condition and expressed that it is "very unlikely" Saka would "start and finish" all World Cup matches. However, when queried about his readiness for the entirety of England's opening game in Dallas, Saka affirmed he was prepared for selection. "I don't want to say anything that goes against the manager," he stated. "What I would say is that between Mikel [Arteta] and the Arsenal medical team and Thomas [Tuchel] and the England medical team, since March they have managed me amazingly and helped me get back on the pitch and do what I can for the team. I'm feeling better than I have felt in the last few months and I'm ready to go."

Saka, who is set to make his 50th appearance for England in the upcoming match, played 27 minutes in England's warm-up game against Costa Rica under Tuchel's careful management. The winger was substituted in the Champions League final as Arsenal faced Paris St-Germain in Budapest while the score was still tied. Despite criticism of his performance in that match, Saka commented on the challenges of being judged while not at full fitness, acknowledging it as a risk he is willing to take. "Yeah, but I think as players it's the biggest gamble, especially if you're not feeling your sharpest. You have the choice whether you don't play or you put yourself out there knowing that people are going to judge you the same," Saka reflected. "And at the end of the day, people don’t really care how you're feeling; they expect you to deliver, they expect you to perform. I'm happy to take that gamble, and it paid off, I'd say, and I'm going to continue doing that - but like I said, I'm feeling a lot better than I did in March, and I'm ready to go, so I'm excited."

Saka competes for a starting spot on the right wing with his Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke. He expressed that despite their competition for playing time for club and country, they support each other's efforts. "It's quite unique, two players that play in the same position to be as close as we are," Saka mentioned. "I don't really know how it works, but it works. Noni is like my brother on and off the pitch. We push each other and we speak every day. We have that mutual respect for each other and we want each other to do well. The good thing is that we play on the same team, and if one of us is doing well, it is good for the other."