Bukayo Saka Missed Training, And Thomas Tuchel's Doubts Just Got Real For England

Holy smokes, England fans, if you're hitting refresh on those news feeds this weekend, you saw it: Bukayo Saka, the electric winger, completely missed Saturday's main group training session! This isn't just some casual day off, folks. This is a massive curveball for England ahead of their World Cup clash with Ghana, all thanks to an Achilles problem that's been nagging him for months. If you were hoping to see him light it up from the jump on Tuesday, well, prepare for a dose of reality: he's likely not starting.

The Unsettling Absence in Kansas City

Can you believe it? Out of Thomas Tuchel's entire 26-man squad, Saka was the *only* one not out there on the pitch at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City. Instead, he was stuck indoors, grinding through an individual recovery program. This Achilles issue, which first popped up back in March, has clearly limited him. Remember the Group L opener against Croatia? He wasn't fit to start that one either, even though he did come on for 18 minutes in the second half and notched his 10th assist in that sweet 4-2 win. He's expected to be ready for the Ghana game in Boston on Tuesday, but with his workload being so carefully managed, Noni Madueke is probably going to keep his spot on the right. That's a huge shift in the starting XI for a critical World

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Cup game!

Coach vs. Player: The Battle of Belief

Tuchel hasn't been shy about his concerns. He openly raised doubts about Saka's condition last week, making it crystal clear that his 24-year-old star was "still short of full fitness" and "not 100 per cent for us" at the start of the month. The gaffer even pointed out that "some things are missing for Bukayo in terms of consecutive training," and pretty much stated it's "very unlikely Bukayo starts and finishes the matches all from now on." Ouch. But then, Saka hit back last Monday. He stressed that both Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta and their medical team, and England, with Tuchel and their medical team, have done an "amazing" job managing him since March. He even declared, "I'm feeling better than I felt in the last few months. And, yeah, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go, man." So who do we believe? The coach who's seeing the limitations, or the player who's desperate to be on the pitch? This Tuesday's match against Ghana in Boston just got way more interesting. Both sides are coming off opening World Cup wins, so the stakes are already high. Now, England's got this huge question mark hanging over one of their biggest playmakers. Can Saka truly deliver if he's not 100 percent, or will Madueke step up and make that starting spot his own? You know we'll be glued to our screens, watching every single minute to see how this plays out!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.