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Bukayo Saka has expressed that he wished to have played a greater part in the World Cup after delivering a stunning hat-trick that helped England secure a 6-4 victory against France in the bronze medal match.

England triumphed over their rivals in a high-scoring, end-to-end encounter to claim third place at the tournament.

“It was a crazy game,” Saka told BBC Sport after the match. “Obviously, we’re both still disappointed not to be in the final, but it was about finishing strong and giving the country its best World Cup position in around 60 years.”

The Arsenal forward was left out of the semi-final defeat to Argentina, and when asked whether he believed he could have played a bigger part in the competition, he replied, “Of course, I would have loved to play more, but it’s too late to talk about that now.”

“I just try to do my talking on the pitch, and it’s done now, so let’s move on,” he added.

Saka admitted that he and his teammates were leaving the USA with a sense of disappointment but insisted there were still plenty of positives to take from the campaign.

“We kept improving throughout the tournament, had some amazing results, and in the end, we fell short against Argentina,” he said.

“It hurts a lot for all of us, and I’m sure it’s the same for the fans back home, but we have to move on and keep our heads held high.”