World Cup 2026: Bukayo Saka trains alone as England prepare for Ghana game
Bukayo Saka was the only player not to take part in group training as England continued their preparations for their second match of the World Cup against Ghana.
The Arsenal winger spent Saturday’s session working on an individual program indoors as he continues to deal with the Achilles issue he has been managing since March.
England will face Ghana in Boston on Tuesday (21:00 BST) with both teams starting Group L with a win.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel was on the practice field at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City with 25 of his 26 players as the baseball team watched the KC Royals along with their rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, following Friday night’s game.
Saka came off the bench in the 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday and provided an assist for England’s fourth player, Marcus Rashford.
Before the tournament, Tuchel said Saka would need to manage the opening stages due to what is understood to be an Achilles tendinitis problem.
Saka insisted he was ready to play and said he was prepared to “gamble” on his fitness to help the team during the World Cup.
However, Tuchel said the 24-year-old was unlikely to start until the final Group L game against Panama in New Jersey on Saturday 27 June (22:00 BST).
“Bukayo is ready and will become more and more ready,” Tuchel said. “I think he will be ready when we play the last game of this group.”
Saka had been addressing this issue for some time and although there were concerns behind the scenes at Arsenal, they felt the striker was fit enough to start regularly in the title race.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is generally very cautious about his players’ injury concerns and usually keeps information on Saka’s situation in-house.
However, Tuchel’s acceptance that the 24-year-old football player should be managed for at least part of the World Cup brought the winger’s fitness to the fore.
Tuchel’s latest comments appear to suggest that the German is protecting Saka, knowing the winger will be of significant value later in the tournament, but could also play against Ghana if necessary.
