Bukayo Saka, the 22-year-old Arsenal winger, has been forced to withdraw from the England squad due to injury ahead of their upcoming fixtures against Australia and Italy.
Saka had reported for international duty despite missing Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, but after being evaluated by the England medical staff, he was released back to his club to continue his rehabilitation.
He had suffered the injury during Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League defeat in Lens last Tuesday and was forced off late in their 4-0 win against Bournemouth.
The absence of Saka from the England squad is a significant blow to Gareth Southgate, who had defended Saka’s inclusion when the squad was announced last Thursday.
Southgate had stated that there was sufficient time for Saka to recover before the scheduled matches.
However, the winger’s absence will not result in a replacement being called up to the 25-man squad.
Saka’s absence from the win over Manchester City ended his run of 87 consecutive Premier League appearances, making him one of the most consistent players in the league in recent times.
Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta had previously ruled Saka out of England’s games over the international break, saying that he had not trained for a single session.
Meanwhile, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins have been recalled to the England squad after impressive performances in the Premier League this season.
Watkins, who has scored eight goals in all competitions so far this season, returns to the squad for the first time since March 2022, while Bowen has earned his first call-up since September 2022 after scoring five goals in eight league games for West Ham.
Southgate acknowledged that Watkins has hit a bit of scoring form in the last couple of weeks, but emphasized that selection decisions cannot be based solely on a player’s recent performances.
He noted that Watkins had been with the team before and his character and personality are well known.
Southgate also praised Bowen’s performances and said that the Australia game presents an opportunity to learn some different things.
