Arsenal have received a positive injury boost following confirmation that their brilliant player has returned to training with his national team.
Arsenal
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England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he will make changes to his side for Tuesday’s international friendly against Senegal, with Arsenal star Bukayo Saka and captain Harry Kane both expected to start.
The Three Lions will be hoping to bounce back quickly following an underwhelming 1-0 win over Andorra on Saturday in Barcelona, a performance that drew criticism given their opponents’ lowly FIFA ranking of 173. As England prepare to face a much tougher test at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, Tuchel has revealed that he is ready to rotate his squad.
“The next game is always the most difficult,” Tuchel said when asked if the lacklustre showing against Andorra would influence his team selection. “There will be some changes. I won’t say how many, but we want to reward players who kept the level high on Saturday. We’ll see some fresh legs and new faces.”
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One of those likely to return is Bukayo Saka, who missed the previous match as a precaution due to minor discomfort following Arsenal’s final league game. The winger is in line to start after participating in Monday’s pre-match press conference.
Arsenal - Bukayo Saka
Arsenal - Bukayo Saka
“Very excited, because I could see he worked hard to come back from his injury,” Tuchel said. “He had a little issue after the last match of the season, and only managed one full session and one half session. We decided to be cautious and leave him out on Saturday. But he’s fine now, happy, and will start tomorrow. He’s a key player for us.”
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Harry Kane is also expected to retain the captain’s armband, with Tuchel hinting strongly that the Bayern Munich striker will start again. “It is very likely that it is the same captain,” he said.
Tuchel also suggested that Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney could feature against Senegal, responding “yes, of course” when asked if he wanted to give the forward some minutes.
Senegal, with their physicality and attacking talent, are expected to offer a far sterner challenge than Andorra, making Tuesday night an important test of Tuchel’s evolving England setup.