Gary Neville has voiced concerns about Bukayo Saka's fitness during the World Cup, stating the England winger "doesn't look right at all" as the team prepares for the knockout stages.
Saka has been managing a persistent Achilles problem, which he also played through towards the end of the Arsenal season. England manager Thomas Tuchel previously indicated that Saka had been unable to train on consecutive days this month. Despite this, the winger featured in all three of England's group stage matches, coming off the bench against Croatia and Ghana, and playing just over an hour in the victory over Panama.
Neville, speaking on the Sky Bet-backed show 'Stick to Football,' expressed his unease. "Bukayo Saka doesn't look right at all," Neville said. "He's usually the boy that's bubbling and smiling, he's got that competitive edge to him, but he's not right and that's a concern to us I think."
Ian Wright shared these concerns, suggesting that Saka may have been "rushed back" for the tournament. "We're going into a World Cup, and still not starting the first few games, only starting when we're three games in, and still isn't looking like the Saka that we know – this guy needs a break," Wright commented.
Saka himself had acknowledged heading into the tournament that he was "happy to gamble" with his fitness, a strategy he also employed with Arsenal in the latter part of their season. His game time at Arsenal had been carefully managed in the weeks leading up to the World Cup, with the winger completing a full 90 minutes in only one match since mid-March. "As players, it’s the biggest gamble, especially if you’re not feeling your sharpest," Saka had said. "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."
Concerns about England's wide play have been amplified by the team's struggles to create clear chances from the flanks in their recent matches. In the group stage, England initially started with Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke on the wings against Croatia and Ghana. Marcus Rashford and Saka were introduced from the bench in those games before Tuchel opted to start Rashford and Saka against Panama. However, England found it difficult to break down their opponents until Jude Bellingham scored from a corner.
Wright and Roy Keane emphasized the need for England's wingers to improve their performance as the tournament progresses into its more critical phases. "I can't remember too many tournaments where you're feeling like you're on the edge, I feel like that's normal," Wright said. "But there are a lot of people [in the England squad] who are not up to speed. Our wingers, and the way we depend on the wingers are not doing well enough."
Keane added, "The wingers need to grab their opportunity. These players [wingers] haven't quite grabbed their opportunity yet. In the group games, you can maybe slip up in one of them, but now at least one of them has to start turning up."
England is scheduled to face DR Congo in the last-32 of the World Cup on Wednesday in Atlanta. A victory would advance them to a last-16 tie against either co-hosts Mexico or Ecuador.