‘Very Unlikely’—England Rocked by Thomas Tuchel Injury Admission Before World Cup
England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka will have his minutes managed during the World Cup after playing through an injury over the past few months.
“Bukayo is still getting there, playing through discomfort at the end of the season, obviously managing it and playing at a high level but still not on his 100%,” Tuchel confessed before Wednesday’s final pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica.
“Bukayo is just not there yet. Some things are missing ... consecutive trainings. They took very good care of him [at Arsenal] and were very aware of it and we will do a little bit the same. He is at the moment not able to do every training session through the week and then play. He is still going to be managed.
dark. BUY NOW. SI World Cup Preview Issue. Get SI’s World Cup 2026 Preview Issue
“Arsenal brought him back [from injury in late April] and he was straight away decisive. And then they decided together—Bukayo and Arsenal—to let him play through his pain and discomfort, even if it was not possible to train the whole week in the buildups.
“I think it is very unlikely Bukayo starts and finishes all the matches from now on.”
How Can England Cope Without Healthy Saka?
An Achilles issue sent Saka to the sidelines in April, but he missed just two weeks of action before coming back to help Arsenal’s push to the Premier League title. While impressive on the pitch, it was clear the winger was not fully healthy as Gunners manager Mikel Arteta did his best to rest Saka where possible.
Coincidentally, Arsenal’s natural deputy for Saka just so happens to be England’s most natural alternative, too.
“We have Noni [Madueke] who competes with him,” Tuchel confirmed, admitting he tried to build his squad with two natural options for each position.
Since making his England debut in 2024, Madueke’s international career has yet to really take off. He has scored just once for his country and missed a large part of this year’s games through injury. Having played just five times under Tuchel, Madueke may not actually be the preferred alternative in the German’s eyes.
“We have Morgan [Rogers], we have Rashy [Marcus Rashford], who plays for Barcelona on the right wing,” Tuchel continued.
“So, there are options and it is my job to find out the chemistry, but clarity is the most important thing and players know where they can compete and we will hopefully not have a lot of experiments in the tournament. The clarity is important.”
Saka remains England’s strongest option, and it is clear that he is ready to play when necessary. Tuchel is likely to try and rest the 24-year-old in lower-profile games with a view to keeping him healthy before the knockout stages.
England’s opener against Croatia is undoubtedly the toughest of the group fixtures—Ghana and Panama should prove little obstacle for Tuchel’s side—so it would come as no surprise to see Saka start the first game and rest until the knockouts if all goes to plan for England.
READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
feed