England head coach Thomas Tuchel has called for caution over Bukayo Saka’s fitness ahead of the World Cup, while insisting his side have every reason to believe they can challenge for the trophy despite not being among the tournament favourites.
Saka remains one of England’s most influential players, but Tuchel revealed the Arsenal winger is still being carefully managed after carrying an Achilles problem through the latter stages of last season. The 24-year-old missed part of Arsenal’s title-winning campaign before returning for the run-in and has since joined up with the national team.
Tuchel confirmed Saka has trained with the rest of the squad but said the coaching staff are continuing to monitor his workload as England prepare for their final warm-up match against Costa Rica on Wednesday.
The German manager explained that England are gradually building Saka back to full fitness and want to ensure he is in peak condition for their World Cup opener against Croatia on 17 June.
England’s preparations have so far been encouraging, with no injury concerns emerging from Saturday’s 1-0 victory over New Zealand. After making 11 changes at half-time in that match, Tuchel plans to give several players longer spells on the pitch against Costa Rica to improve match sharpness before the tournament begins.
Among those who could benefit is defender John Stones, whose club season at Manchester City was disrupted by limited playing time. Tuchel confirmed Stones is available for selection and stressed that the entire squad is currently fit and ready.
While confidence within the camp is growing, Tuchel rejected suggestions that England should be viewed as the leading contenders for the title. He acknowledged that reaching consecutive European Championship finals and regularly progressing deep into major tournaments shows the team is capable of winning silverware, but pointed to England’s long wait since their 1966 World Cup triumph as a reason they cannot be considered favourites.
Instead, Tuchel described England as genuine challengers with the quality to go all the way if they combine talent, discipline, belief and a measure of good fortune. He stressed that success would require a calm approach and total focus on each stage of the competition rather than looking too far ahead.
The 52-year-old said the squad has both belief and ambition, adding that dreaming of lifting the trophy is important, but only if it is backed by hard work, responsibility and commitment.
Tuchel also thanked the Football Association for allowing him and the players to concentrate on football amid growing political issues surrounding the tournament. Recent developments have included FIFA confirming that Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will miss the World Cup after being denied entry to the United States, while visa-related concerns involving Iran participants have also emerged.
Despite those distractions, Tuchel said England’s priority remains clear: staying focused on football and giving themselves the best possible chance of ending a 60-year wait for World Cup success.