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Bukayo Saka## Bukayo Saka's stunning performance for England in the Bronze medal play-off will come as a major boost for Arsenal
11:34, 19 Jul 2026Updated 11:50, 19 Jul 2026
It was both glorious and infuriating to witness Bukayo Saka score a World Cup hat-trick in England’s third-place play-off, in which they put six past France. Declan Rice also scored and got an assist from a corner, while Eberechi Eze also assisted Saka for one of his three goals.
Glorious for obvious reasons from an Arsenal point of view, infuriating because it leaves many asking the question - why didn’t Saka play against Argentina? Thomas Tuchel suggested that Saka was snubbed because of the feeling he had for Rogers.
"He was excellent. Bukayo is a key player for me,” Tuchel said. “He was ready to go in the World Cup, I felt still the responsibility as a coach, and with the history given where he came from, to take it slow with Bukayo.
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"He started quite some matches; it was a tough decision for me to leave him out of the semi-final. I had a feeling after the Norway match that Morgan Rogers had something special to give to us with his physicality and his body in the match against Argentina.
"We had him warm up several times against Argentina, we were ready to change, but the game became so crazy that in the end we opted for a different option.”
Saka playing the full match would not have been something Arsenal fans would typically have wanted to see. Especially with the Achilles tendonitis issue the winger had been suffering with.
However, seeing Saka play so well provides encouragement that he may not need time off in the opening Premier League matches. Saka is set to enjoy a three-week break now, as he and every player are entitled to, and could yet be given longer after the extended season he has endured.
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Arsenal play Coventry City on Friday, 21 August, on the opening day. The three-week break would end around August 10, six days before the Community Shield against Manchester City.
Arsenal’s pre-season matches start on August 1, when they face Girona in Spain. Saka will be away on his holidays but Mikel Arteta will be preparing in detail for his expected return the entire time.
Tom Canton
Tom Canton
Tom Canton joined football.london as the Arsenal Fan Brand Writer and Presenter before becoming a permanent Arsenal Reporter in 2025. Tom produces plenty of analytical content in addition to breaking stories and is a regular attendee at matches and press conferences. Can also be found on YouTube @TheGoonerTalkTV
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