Thomas Tuchel has made it clear England are in no rush with Bukayo Saka. The winger was brought on in the 72nd minute against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, after missing five matches in April because of an Achilles issue, and Tuchel has already said the last game in the group is the moment for Saka to start.

Why England seem set to hold Saka back

Tuchel's wording was pretty direct. "Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready. Once we get to the last game in the group it is the moment," he said. He added that Saka was strong in small spaces in training, but the message is still one of caution rather than urgency.

That makes England's next fixture against England vs Ghana look like the game he is most likely to be managed through, not started in. Saka only played 22 minutes against Croatia, and he still managed 1 assist in that cameo. Tuchel has a usable option, but not one he seems willing to overwork.

The wider schedule points in the same direction. England face Ghana on 2026-06-23 and Panama on 2026-06-27, which gives Tuchel room to keep Saka back and use him when the group stage opens up later. On current evidence, Panama looks like the cleaner fit for a start.

Kane and Rice are the bigger fitness relief

England's other concern is smaller than it first looked. Declan Rice was substituted after 72 minutes against Croatia with lower back and upper hamstring discomfort, but Tuchel said he did not want to take any risks and Rice reassured him afterwards that it was good and nothing big to worry about.

Harry Kane also looks fine. He wore heavy strapping on his left leg after the Croatia match, but England's medical staff treated it as cramp management rather than injury. Kane had already scored 2 goals in that game, so England are not dealing with a shortage of firepower even if Saka is eased in carefully.

For Tuchel, that leaves the selection call looking more like workload management than alarm. Marcus Rashford scored England's final goal in an 18-minute cameo, while Noni Madueke won the penalty for Kane's opener. Saka is still part of the attacking plan, but the signs point to patience first and a start later.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →