Thomas Tuchel defends Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka after Arsenal duo withdraw from England squad before Japan clash

Rice and Saka were among 11 players that Tuchel left out of last week's 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley, with the coach intending to bring them back into the fold for the following clash against Japan. On Saturday, though, it was announced that the Gunners duo, along with six others, would be leaving the Three Lions camp ahead of the second instalment of the Wembley double-header. With Arsenal's season entering an intense period, however, many speculated that the pair were prioritising finishing the club campaign at the expense of the national team.

Tuchel moved to deny such claims on Monday, insisting Saka and Rice continued to feel discomfort after their involvement with Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on the Sunday before last and, as such, had to stand down. Addressing concerns about the legitimacy of the injuries, Tuchel was firm in his stance.

“I understand the looks of it,” Tuchel said when asked about the withdrawals of Rice and Saka. “I still have 100% trust in the honesty of Declan and Bukayo. We did medical tests. I saw them. I have no reason to believe that either are not honest with me. But given the amount of Arsenal players, I understand the look. They wanted desperately to be involved – just to get the narrative straight. But they were both clearly in discomfort.”

The situation has been complicated by a wider injury crisis at the Emirates Stadium, with several Gunners stars missing the international break. However, Tuchel was keen to point out that both Rice and Saka made a genuine effort to be fit for the Japan fixture. He noted that unlike some previous instances in international football history, the players showed up and tried to work through their issues.

“We knew after the [Carabao Cup] final that there are issues. They were in treatment. But they both came. Declan was even out on the pitch. He did not come and say: ‘Guys, I’m going home.’ I heard there were camps where players did not even show up with boots. Bukayo did sessions in the gym to really try. Declan had a session on the pitch with Jude [Bellingham, who is also not fully fit] and said it doesn’t feel right. Why would I take any risks? They wanted desperately to be involved – just to get the narrative straight. But they were both clearly in discomfort,” the manager added.

Tuchel did not offer specifics about the issues affecting Rice and Saka, saying Arsenal would “not be happy” if he did so. He highlighted that the pair have been playing through pain to help their club’s treble charge. “Declan feels a discomfort since quite a while and he’s playing through it. He’s just now on the edge where he thinks: ‘Does this make sense, what I’m doing here, to push through with 70% and push myself and push myself?’ The same with Bukayo,” he explained.

The Three Lions boss expressed major concern about player burnout ahead of the World Cup, admitting the schedule is a genuine problem for the national team. “It is a threat [to England’s hopes],” he said. “Not the biggest one but it is a threat. Fatigue is just a fact. That’s why we did this camp as we have done – to give the ones who were heavily involved a break. I’m 100% convinced we will get the benefit from it – now against Japan and later.”

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