England manager Thomas Tuchel says Bukayo Saka is “pain-free” and “ready to play” for the Three Lions’ final group game against Panama amid an injury to defender Reece James.
Saka was benched in the first two World Cup matches against Croatia and Ghana, making cameo appearances as a second-half substitute. This is due to a long-term Achilles problem which has affected his season-long appearance at Arsenal.
However, Tuchel revealed that Saka had spent the last few days getting back to form after undergoing a rigorous medical process, which included consultations with Arsenal.
“For Bukayo (not starting yet) it was the right thing to do,” Tuchel said. “We have worked closely with Bukayo, especially the medical team at Arsenal, to agree that this is the way to develop him.
“He is now completely free of the pain and discomfort of a few days ago and is ready to go.”
But the defender james According to Tuchel, he will miss the Panama match due to a “minor hamstring issue”. Advancement to the round of 32 is also unclear, but not completely ruled out.
Reece James will miss Panama game
“Reece has a minor hamstring problem. He has not been able to train for the last two days,” Tuchel said. “He is currently on an accelerated rehabilitation program and we take it game by game, but we have faith that he will be available for us (again) in the tournament.
“We are hopeful that he will be available for the next game. It may be a tight game, but the hope is still alive. He did not travel with us (to play against Panama on Saturday).”
named Tuchel Jed Spence, Jarrell Kwansa and Ezri Konsa As a right back cover option to replace James. But the England manager was asked why he called on centre-back Trevor Chalobah instead of his natural right-back option when full-back Tino Libramento suffered a tournament-ending injury earlier this month.
“The idea of calling Chalobah is to free up Kwansa in the full-back position, which is a good fit for us.” Tuchel said. “I saw him play very strongly for Liverpool and he played well in the back three at Leverkusen, which is not too far from the position, and we have Djed Spence.
“No one could have seen (James’ injury) coming. Reece has been in good form.”
“Konsa has also played in the right-back position at a high level for us. There is no problem. We want to have Reece as a key player, but he is not available. We will find a solution. That is what we do.”
Rice and Anderson are fit, but the Arsenal player has yellow card issues.
Elliott Anderson and Declan Rice are fit to start against Panama
Friday evening report Elliot AndersonParticipation in the Panama game is uncertain due to muscle strain. However, Tuchel said the England midfielder participated in full training on Friday and is available.
Despite suffering a calf knock in the match against Ghana, Declan Rice The Arsenal midfielder also passed with one yellow card ahead of being banned from the round of 32.
Asked if it influences his thinking, Tuchel said: “Yes and no.” “He is experienced enough to handle it, but we know that, he has a yellow card.”
“If he starts (against Panama), I usually want Declan to be on the pitch. Then he has to manage it and he will manage it.”
“Elliot Anderson was in full training (Friday). Declan Rice was in full training. They had a couple of minor problems after the Ghana game but they had time to recover.”
“Everyone except Reece James is ready and ready to go. We will make a decision (on Friday night).”
Tuchel: Anderson had no obstacles in moving to Manchester City
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Tim Sherwood shares his thoughts on England midfielder Anderson and how much of a ‘dream’ he is for Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.
Meanwhile, Tuchel also spoke about Anderson’s imminent move to Manchester City, which would set a UK transfer record, with Manchester City agreeing a £116m move for the Nottingham Forest player.
Earlier this month, Tuchel revealed he did not want his players to focus on a move on the eve of the game and the England manager said Anderson had not caused any interference and would facilitate City’s move after the Panama game.
“There were no disruptions or medicals before the game,” Tuchel said. “All the focus was on his recovery and making sure he could participate in training.
“The focus has been on training and traveling with us. It obviously doesn’t distract from the main topic of the game. We want to win games, win the group. We need Elliott with the right mindset.”
“The reality is that transfers are happening while we are playing. Big transfers take a lot of time.
“We know things are going on behind the scenes. We will facilitate the transfer, but after the game, not before.”
