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England head coach Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that he will need to monitor Bukayo Saka’s fitness carefully during the upcoming World Cup, following the winger’s recent spell of playing through injury for Arsenal.

The Arsenal star recently celebrated clinching the Premier League title with the Gunners, although his performances throughout the campaign suggested he was not operating at his absolute best for much of the season.

Saka, on his day, is regarded as a world-class attacking talent and a vital figure for the England squad. However, Tuchel appears conscious that the player may not yet be at full fitness heading into the tournament.

During his latest press conference, as reported by BBC Sport, Tuchel shed light on Saka’s current condition and his prospects of featuring prominently for England at this summer’s World Cup.

“We still have to take a little bit of care for Bukayo who had an injury in March and carried it through the club campaign,” Tuchel explained.

“He made himself available at the end of the season and did so brilliantly, but he was managed in between matches. That continues a bit at the moment – we are building him up.

“We just came from training and everyone was involved including Bukayo.”

Should Saka be unavailable for certain fixtures, Tuchel has ample quality in reserve within his attacking midfield options. Noni Madueke represents a natural replacement as a left-footed winger operating on the right flank, while Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon could also be used in wide roles if needed.

Additionally, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze possess the versatility to adapt in those positions, ensuring England are not overly dependent on Saka’s presence, even though his inclusion would undoubtedly strengthen the team.

At 24 years of age, Saka has already earned 48 caps for England, scoring 14 goals — including two at the last World Cup and one at Euro 2024 two years ago.