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England winger Bukayo Saka missed Friday's (local time) training session ahead of his side's World Cup clash against Ghana, with the Football Association stating that he is following an individual programme as he continues to manage an Achilles injury, according to Reuters.
Saka has been dealing with the issue since March and England coach Thomas Tuchel has repeatedly emphasised the importance of carefully managing the 24-year-old's workload throughout the tournament. According to the bench, the winger did not take part in training at England's base in Kansas City, although the FA has not indicated that his participation in Tuesday's Group L fixture is in doubt. Saka came off the bench in England's 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match and made an immediate impact, assisting Marcus Rashford's late goal as England began their World Cup campaign on a strong note. The Arsenal star had earlier said he was willing to take the risk of playing through the injury to feature at the World Cup, while Tuchel has also noted that he is unlikely to play full matches consistently. England is currently top of Group L after the first round of matches and will face Ghana on Tuesday before concluding their group-stage fixtures against Panama. Meanwhile, Three Lions skipper Harry Kane admitted to being inspired by the performances of Argentina skipper Lionel Messi, who secured his first-ever WC hat-trick against Algeria, and Norway's Erling Haaland, who scored a brace on his debut at the football's grandest stage. Kane scored a brace as his side secured a fine 4-2 win over Croatia at Dallas. Following his side's win, Kane, as quoted by Reuters, said, "Obviously, I saw the guys scoring their goals, and I do not like to concentrate too much on other people. But I think it is natural, as a sportsman, as an athlete, to try and reach the highest levels and obviously, all those guys started in a great way. "He also pointed to the "hunger and excitement" within the side to be a part of what could be a "special summer" for England footballers. "You can see the hunger, the desire and excitement from the players to be part of what could be a special summer," Kane said of the squad. There's real competition for places, but no negativity, just a shared focus on performing when called upon," he added. (ANI)
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