The results of Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka’s fitness test have now emerged ahead of England’s Euro 2024 opener v Serbia.
Bukayo Saka is a key player for both Arsenal and England.
However, the winger has endured some fitness issues in recent weeks. He missed the final game of the Premier League season, and only featured off the bench in the Three Lions’ final friendly match before the summer tournament got under way.
However, Gareth Southgate will be keen to have Saka back in his starting XI as soon as possible. Aside from Harry Kane, no other player in this England squad can better the 22-year-old’s 11 strikes for his country, which he has racked up in just 33 caps.
Saka is a talismanic figure at the Emirates Stadium, and has the capacity to have a defining role for his country this summer. Mikel Arteta will simply be hoping that the Hale End academy graduate can play well at the tournament and avoid further injury.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans may well have got a kick out of seeing Saka reporting for international duty with club merchandise in tow.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka passes England fitness test
According to a report in The Sun, Saka has now passed a fitness test and is expected to be named in Southgate’s starting XI for England’s first game of Euro 2024 against Serbia on Sunday evening.
The England manager has plenty of formidable attacking options to call upon. Beyond Saka and Kane, Southgate also has the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Ivan Toney, and Ollie Watkins at his disposal.
Arsenal have been credited with an interest in both Watkins and Toney. Arteta may well be keeping tabs on the pair of strikers over the course of the competition.
Why Arsenal fans will worry about Saka this summer
Plenty of supporters of the North London club will have concerns about the winger’s game time. After all, he played 47 times for the club last season, and at one stage Saka was briefly benched due to suffering with fatigue.
On top of that, he is often targeted by opponents and the subject of rough physical treatment on the pitch. Arsenal called on the PGMOL to offer Saka more protection last season, but he is inevitably going to be fouled and kicked a lot throughout his career.
He is a player who could perhaps do with a rest, but does not look set to get one this summer. It is vital, though, that the Gunners source adequate cover for Saka in this summer transfer window.
Arsenal players and transfer targets at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode of Cannon Fire – The Arsenal Insider Podcast, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discuss the European Championships. With 11 Arsenal players set to feature at the tournament, the pair debated which players could be fighting for their futures, and which are destined to succeed on the international stage.