Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice injury latest - should England be worried?

Saka and Rice both nursing issues carried over from the title-winning season (Picture: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

The start of England ’s World Cup campaign couldn’t have gone any better against Croatia but there are a series of injury concerns Thomas Tuchel and his staff will be keeping a close eye on.

Bukayo Saka was left out of the starting XI on Wednesday night due to an Achilles injury with club teammate Noni Madueke again deputising on the right.

Another star of Arsenal ’s Premier League title-winning side in Declan Rice came off after 72 minutes – before Marcus Rashford wrapped up all three points. Rashford himself is now being monitored after complaining of muscle tightness after the game.

England will have had six days to recover before they return to action against Ghana on Tuesday night. Tuchel suggested on Friday that Saka is unlikely to start that game as they continue to manage his long-standing Achilles injury and could instead save him for the final group match against Panama.

Saka was for so many years one of Arsenal’s most robust players, starting 87 consecutive games for the club between 2021 and 2023. But he has had various muscular injuries in more recent years, requiring hamstring surgery at the end of 2024. Another hamstring issue kept him out for four weeks early last season, also missing three matches with a hip problem in January.

His current Achilles tendinitis issue ruled him out of five matches in April , including both Champions League quarter-final legs against Sporting CP and the Premier League showdown at Manchester City. While there was some concern behind the scenes, he was deemed fit enough to play and have a real impact in the season run-in.

Saka’s issue is a chronic one, meaning it must be carefully managed and is unlikely to completely heal quickly – especially over the course of the World Cup. But it is a common and manageable issue.

Saka came off the bench against Croatia (Picture: Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While Mikel Arteta was guarded over the fitness of his winger last season, Tuchel has provided a little more transparency over expectations in training with the issue unlikely to be something that threatens his involvement in the knockout stages of the competition at this stage.

‘It isn’t about taking him out of the picture for a prolonged period and treating it, it is about managing it,’ Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare, told Metro.

‘We know it’s a chronic issue that can persist for a number of seasons that players must learn to manage, we know that from how Arsenal have managed him. It is going to be something he is carrying through the competition but it is clear from a club perspective they were able to manage that.’

Saka returned in time to help Arsenal clinch the title (Picture: Getty)

The issue means there might not always be a clear and definite return date for Saka in mind with his availability depending on how he responds in training.

‘They [Tuchel and England’s medical staff] are not expecting a condition like this to be resolved mid-tournament. So it is about managing his load day by day. Typically what you would see is the medical staff, physio staff and the coaches are monitoring his response to every training session, looking post-session stiffness, looking at swelling, looking at pain and how he is moving the morning after.

‘If he is moving freely with no reactivity they will keep loading him. But if there’s any level of pain, stiffness, discomfort, then they will monitor and manage him through that. My expectation is they would be looking at him all the way through the tournament to manage that reaction.’

The sight of Rice limping off against Croatia was a rare one with Tuchel later explaining it was a largely precautionary measure with the midfielder after feeling discomfort in his lower back and upper hamstring. Rice later said himself he was ‘good as gold’, adamant he will be back out again against Ghana.

Rice explained he was nursing the injury for the second-half of last season, describing it as a ’neural issue’ – terminology that spoke volumes of the player’s understanding of the problem.

Rice came off in the second-half against Croatia (Picture: Getty)

No outfield player racked up more minutes for Arsenal than the midfielder last season and while it has been a draining campaign, his manageable issue was the reason for his withdrawal against Croatia rather than any concerns over fatigue.

‘Just from hearing what Rice said, I think it is unlikely to be fatigue-related,’ Smith said. ‘Everything he talked about, little neurological pains, suggested he would be back out there. He obviously understands what it is, what has been going on and has been dealing with it.