June 10th 2024.
Bukayo Saka, the talented player from Arsenal, has been facing some challenges with his fitness as England prepares for the Euro 2024 campaign. There is some uncertainty surrounding his availability for the first game against Serbia on Sunday, and this has caused manager Gareth Southgate to consider other options for the team's attack.
Saka, who is only 22 years old, has been a regular member of Southgate's squads since his first senior call-up in 2020. He has also been named the England Men's Player of the Year twice. However, an injury to his groin during a shooting practice has kept him out of Arsenal's final Premier League match against Everton and has affected his return to full fitness.
Due to this injury, Saka was unable to play in England's warm-up match against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week, where they secured a 3-0 victory. However, he did make an appearance as a substitute in England's recent defeat against Iceland, playing for 25 minutes. Despite this, The Daily Mirror reports that Saka's fitness is still a concern, and the medical team is carefully managing his training schedule for the upcoming tournament in Germany.
There is still hope that Saka will be able to start against Serbia, but Southgate may opt to rest him to avoid any further aggravation of the injury. The team will be flying out to Germany today, and Saka's fitness will be closely monitored in the coming days. He has been a part of every age group for England since the Under-16 level and has made 33 appearances for the senior team, scoring 11 goals under Southgate's guidance.
Saka played a crucial role in the previous European Championships campaign, where England suffered a heartbreaking defeat on penalties against Italy at Wembley. As they prepare for their first match in Group C against Serbia this weekend, Southgate's focus is on driving the team to success.
Following their recent loss to Iceland, Southgate addressed concerns about possible injuries to defenders John Stones and Marc Guehi. He confirmed that Stones was substituted at halftime as a precaution, and Guehi was fine after taking a heavy blow to the head.
Southgate also expressed disappointment in the team's performance and emphasized the need for the players to stay focused and not become complacent. He highlighted the fact that talent alone is not enough to win at this level, and the team must be at their best in every aspect of the game. This defeat has served as a wake-up call for the team, and they are determined to improve in the upcoming matches.
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