Bukayo Saka scored for England in their World Cup qualifier against Serbia, but the Arsenal winger was spotted appearing to make a gesture to the bench at one point in the match
Bukayo Saka of England celebrates after he scores a goal to make it 1-0 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between England and Serbia at Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has confirmed why he gestured to the bench during England's World Cup qualifying win over Serbia.
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Bukayo Saka sparked injury worries for Arsenal and England after scoring for the Three Lions in a World Cup qualifier against Serbia. ITV cameras caught him limping before he signalled to the bench, which suggested that he might need to be substituted.
However, Saka seemed to recover somewhat in the following minutes. A break in play saw him head over to the dugout to change his boots, which appeared to be the cause of his discomfort.
Given his past injury issues, there are understandable fears that he may have sustained at least a minor injury. Mikel Arteta, the Gunners boss, would have feared the worst but Saka revealed afterwards his gesture was only for new boots.
Saka went onto play the full 90 minutes of the match, which ended in a 2-0 win, and further quashed any fear of an injury in an interview after the match. When asked by ITV about the gesture to the bench, he confirmed: "No, no, no, I just wanted to change my boots, that was it."
The winger was a standout performer for Thomas Tuchel's men as they ran out 2-0 winners, courtesy of goals from Saka and Arsenal team-mate Eberechi Eze.
Arteta has had Saka available for the last few months after losing him to a hamstring problem earlier in the season. The 24-year-old has struggled to find the back of the net since his return, but did score in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland last weekend.
Injuries have been a constant issue for Arsenal this season, but a deep squad has allowed Arteta and his team to cope with key absences. Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres are among those who have missed matches.
Riccardo Calafiori is the latest player to give Arteta an injury headache, with the versatile defender absent from Italy's squad for their match against Moldova on Thursday evening. However, this was not unexpected, as the 23-year-old has been following a separate training programme this week due to a hip issue.
Saka's Arsenal team-mate Eberchi Eze scored late on in England's win
Saka's Arsenal team-mate Eberchi Eze scored late on in England's win
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Calafiori appears to be dealing with a minor issue, with Arteta likely hoping he'll be fit for the North London Derby against Tottenham following the November international break.
Arteta has hinted that one of Madueke, Odegaard, Martinelli or Gyokeres could return against Sunderland, stating in a press conference: "I cannot confirm all of [them are out vs Sunderland], but you are not far off.
"Some of them, all of them, [could be available after the break], I don't know. There are a lot of things that have to happen in the next two weeks, and everything has to be perfect, but I think we'll be very close."
The update on Saka will come as a relief to Arteta and Arsenal fans. The winger could again be involved for England on Sunday when they look to maintain their 100 per cent win record in World Cup qualifying when they take on Albania away on Sunday afternoon.
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