Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka is going into the tournament still suffering with an Achilles issue, but he is determined to not let it impact his World Cup
Bukayo Saka is battling to be fit for England's opener vs Croatia
Bukayo Saka is battling to be fit for England's opener vs Croatia
View 2 Images
Bukayo Saka has insisted he is ready to “gamble” on his fitness for England’s World Cup chances.
Arsenal winger Saka, who is set to win his 50th cap against Croatia in their Group opener on Wednesday, has been struggling with an Achilles issue.
It ruled Saka out of England’s March camp and he had to push himself through the pain barrier for Arsenal’s title run-in which cast a major doubt over his fitness for this summer. But Saka is determined to start which will give Thomas Tuchel a huge boost for England’s World Cup campaign.
Saka, 24, said: “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 people are going to judge you the same.
“I’m happy to take the gamble. It paid off, I’d say. I’m going to continue doing that. At the end of the day, people don’t really care how you’re feeling, they expect you to deliver. But I am feeling a lot better than I did in March and I’m ready to go.
“The main focus right now is winning the World Cup. And being my best version of myself for the team.”
Saka was hugely influential in helping Arsenal win their first title in 22 years and also says that winning feeling has boosted his confidence.
He said: “Knowing what it takes to win is important and it gives you more belief. It gives you more confidence and freedom.
Thomas Tuchel, Manager of England, hugs Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka is happy to gamble on his fitness in a major boost to Thomas Tuchel(Image: Eddie Keogh/The FA via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
“When you have that success and you taste it, you want to do it again, and you can go two ways, but when I speak for myself, I'd say it's definitely feeling that I want to do it again and it gives me even more hunger.”
England boss Tuchel has said that Saka will not be able to start and finish every game but the Arsenal winger says he is happy to share the role with club teammate Noni Madueke.
Saka, who is also relishing the chance to reach 50 caps, added: “Noni is like my brother and we enjoy competing and playing together. Not many players have done that, especially so young. So it's proud for me.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of MirrorFootball content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.