England Sweat Over Saka Fitness on World Cup Eve

With just a day to go until the start of the 2026 World Cup, England boss Thomas Tuchel has fitness concerns over Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.

Saka’s minutes have been managed since returning from an achilles injury at the back end of last season, but he did start in Arsenal’s Champions League Final defeat to PSG at the end of May.

The 24-year-old has scored 13 goals for club and country this season, but only four since the turn of the year, although a couple did come recently, in wins over Fulham and Atletico Madrid last month.

The forward was expected to start in England’s World Cup opener against Croatia next week, and while he did take part in training yesterday, manager Tuchel admitted that Saka’s workload is being managed for the time being.

“"We still have to take a little bit of care for Bukayo who had an injury in March and carried it through the club campaign," Tuchel said.

"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.”

All eyes will now be on England’s final warm-up game against Costa Rica in Orlando tonight (9pm kick-off), with the starting line-up likely to deliver some clues as to who will be in the side from the off against Croatia.

Fans at home will be hoping for an improved display from the weekend, when the Three Lions looked sluggish and cautious in a 1-0 win over New Zealand in Miami.

Alongside Saka, Arsenal colleagues Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are all set to make their first appearances of the trip, after being rested last time out.