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England star Bukayo Saka has sent a message to manager Thomas Tuchel, telling him that he ‘would love to have played more’ during the Three Lions’ World Cup run.
Tuchel’s side finished their tournament in style on Saturday night as they beat France 6-4 in the bronze medal match, with Saka netting a hat-trick for his team.
But the Arsenal man found game time hard to come by throughout the competition, starting just three of the eight games as Tuchel claimed he was managing his fitness.
But the man himself has claimed he wanted to play more of a part, with Noni Madueke struggling throughout as his deputy before being dropped for Morgan Rogers for the semi-final clash with Argentina.
‘Of course, I would love to have played more,’ Saka told the BBC after the game. ‘But of course, it’s not the time to talk about that now.
‘I try to do my talking on the pitch. It’s done now. Move on.’
Bukayo Saka has sent a message to Thomas Tuchel that he had more to offer at the World Cup
Tuchel (left) was seen to manage the winger’s fitness throughout but opted not to play him against Argentina
Pushed on whether he will be ready to go for pre-season with Arsenal, he replied: ‘Yeah. I’m fit. I’m fit.’
Fans were left shocked that Saka, who won the Premier League with Arsenal this season, contributing to 20 goals for the Gunners, wasn’t used at all against Argentina.
Many had assumed he wasn’t fit, but he started against Argentina, which resulted in a number of questions.
It has emerged, instead, that it was purely a matter of selection, with Rogers, who set up Anthony Gordon’s goal and is set to move to Chelsea for £117million, selected instead.
‘He did everything right,’ Tuchel said of Saka after the France win. ‘I had just a feeling in the semi-final for Morgan Rogers that he would be involved in something special. That was it.
‘The game was so in demand that we were forced into changes because of cramps and flow of the game.
‘Bukayo showed he was a key player, that was never a doubt. I was not even aware he had a hat-trick (against France). I lost the overview of the goalscorers.’
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