Bukayo Saka fit but not confirmed to start against Ghana

Thomas Tuchel has said Bukayo Saka is fit, pain-free and ready to go, but he still would not confirm whether the winger starts against Ghana or comes off the bench in England vs Ghana. The England manager has kept the right wing as a live selection call, with Noni Madueke still in the mix. Saka has been carrying an Achilles issue since the end of March.

Tuchel's right-wing choice

Tuchel's clearest line was simple enough. "It's another big thing on the right wing between Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka," he said, adding that Saka "feels no more pain and he is ready to go". He stopped short of naming the team, and that is the point here. England have not treated Saka as a full green light yet.

That caution has been visible before. England's opener against Croatia in Dallas saw Saka start on the bench before he came on as a second-half substitute. He played 22 minutes in that match and posted a 7.0 rating, while Madueke played 72 minutes and was rated 7.7. The selection battle is still being handled on a game-by-game basis.

The Achilles issue England are managing

Saka's Achilles problem is not a fresh scare. It has been there since the end of March, and it ruled him out of five matches in April, including both Champions League quarter-final legs against Sporting CP and the Premier League match at Manchester City. Stephen Smith's line about the process fits what England are doing now: "It isn't about taking him out of the picture for a prolonged period and treating it, it is about managing it".

Smith also said, "If he is moving freely with no reactivity they will keep loading him. But if there's any level of pain, stiffness, discomfort, then they will monitor and manage him through that." That is the framework Tuchel seems to be using. Saka has one goal contribution in 22 minutes at the World Cup, but England are still weighing that impact against the need to protect him physically.

The current read is not that Saka is unavailable. It is that England are choosing caution first, and Arsenal will know the same approach has been used for club and country since the injury first flared up.