Bukayo Saka is set to miss England’s upcoming Nations League match against Finland but could recover in time for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth next weekend. Saka was sent back to Arsenal after being substituted in England’s 2-1 loss to Greece due to a suspected hamstring issue.
The winger appeared to pull his hamstring while attempting a cross and was seen walking cautiously out of the stadium after the match. Although there were initial concerns about the severity of his injury, scans have shown no serious damage.
England’s interim coach Lee Carsley, opting not to risk Saka in the Finland game, explained, “Bukayo would have been close but it would have been unfair to take a risk with him. He’s a positive person, and I expect him to be fine.” Carsley had earlier commented following the Greece match, “He’s being assessed. Obviously, in the build-up to the first goal, you could see he felt something in his leg.”
Saka’s potential absence from Arsenal’s next fixture raised worries about a repeat of Martin Odegaard’s injury during the last international break. However, those fears seem to have been alleviated. The 23-year-old has been in excellent form this season, contributing three goals and seven assists across 10 matches for Arsenal, yet concerns remain about his workload as he has played every available match for both club and country.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had recently addressed the possibility of resting Saka after his stellar performance in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Southampton. When asked if he considered giving Saka a break, Arteta said, “Yeah, there is, and we have taken him off a couple of times this season. And we have to manage the load of him, but at the moment he’s in a good place.”
With Saka sidelined, England will look to Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane for leadership and inspiration against Finland. Kane, who missed the Greece game, and Jack Grealish are both fit to play. Speaking of Kane’s role, Carsley said, “He leads by example, a really good captain, great positive person to have around… His goalscoring speaks for itself.”
