The Football Association and Arsenal are considering a compromise over Bukayo Saka’s involvement for England next week which is set to see the attacker rested for the game versus Australia.
Mail Sport reported that England and Arsenal medics would collaborate after Sunday’s match between the Gunners and Manchester City to decide whether Saka should remain with Gareth Southgate’s squad amid concerns over his overall fitness.
And it is understood those discussions will centre around a potential agreement that would see Saka report to St George’s Park as normal next week but undertake a significantly tapered training programme and not start against the Aussies at Wembley on Friday evening.
Saka would then return to full training from Saturday with a view to a fuller involvement in the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy on Tuesday week.
The plan for Saka is yet to be finalised and will depend on how the attacker emerges from Sunday’s clash against Pep Guardiola’s team.
Bukayo Saka is set to miss the Australia friendly in a compromise between The FA and Arsenal
The attacker is a doubt for Sunday’s game against Manchester City, but is in ‘contention’
Saka is a doubt for Sunday’s game; Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitting yesterday that the 22-year-old is merely in ‘contention’ to be available for the crunch clash.
The forward suffered hamstring and thigh issues in Tuesday’s loss versus Lens.
Sources have indicated that there is hope Saka can train as normal on Saturday at the club’s London Colney HQ.
How Saka’s body reacts to the final session before the game against the champions will be a key factor towards his level of involvement against City.
If he emerges unscathed from training, there is hope he could be involved.
But even if Saka is named in the starting XI, Arsenal believe their star man would benefit from a lighter workload whilst on international duty – a view that has been communicated to England staff.