Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane have all added to the concern around Bukayo Saka, who is being handled carefully by England at the World Cup. He has a persistent Achilles issue, and Thomas Tuchel has used him in a managed role from the bench. Saka has still appeared in all three group games, but the scrutiny around his sharpness has intensified.

Neville and Keane are worried about his condition

Neville was blunt after watching him. "Bukayo Saka doesn't look right at all," he said, adding that the Arsenal winger is usually "the boy that's bubbling and smiling", but "he's not right and that's a concern to us I think."

Keane went further. "He doesn't look sharp," he said. "Physically is he trusting his body? If he's having all these issues and you're looking at the bigger picture then he shouldn't be here, should he? He should be resting."

That is a fair line of criticism. Saka started his first World Cup game against Panama after cameo appearances against Croatia and Ghana, and he played 63 minutes in that 2-0 win. The pattern is hard to ignore, with his involvement limited even when England have needed their best attacking players to settle games.

England have protected him, but the debate is not going away

The workload itself is not extreme. Saka has made three World Cup appearances and has played 110 minutes in total across those games. England also collected seven points from three group matches, so the team have moved through the first stage without needing to overuse him.

Wright said he needs a break, while Keane also pointed to England's wider issue on the flanks. "The wingers need to grab their opportunity," he said. "These players [wingers] haven't quite grabbed their opportunity yet."

That leaves England with a difficult call. Saka is clearly important, but the Achilles problem and the managed minutes suggest the staff are already treating him as a player who cannot be pushed hard. The noise from Neville, Wright and Keane will only get louder if he is asked to do more in the knockout rounds.

The next test comes in England's next World Cup match, and Saka's usage will tell us plenty about how much Tuchel is prepared to lean on him.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →