Bukayo Saka has expressed his excitement at returning to the England squad after achieving another milestone for Arsenal – and has a message for the critics who mock him for limping at the end of matches. The 24-year-old forward’s penalty against West Ham marked his 100th goal contribution (55 goals, 45 assists) in 200 Premier League matches.
In a week when Jude Bellingham was omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s squad, Saka made it clear he is eager to make his mark for England. He stated: “I’m really happy to be back playing for England. I’ve missed a lot of fixtures under Thomas Tuchel which I’m not happy with as a lot of them have been due to injuries.
“I’m really happy that I get a chance to come back to St George’s Park, train with the team and play with the team. I’m looking forward to it.”
England are set to host Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before welcoming Latvia for their latest World Cup qualification match.
Saka, who has already endured a hamstring injury this season, shrugged off an ankle knock on Saturday to score. The Arsenal ace is prepared to keep pushing through the pain – even if critics ridicule his limping.
He added: “It’s part of it. I have blood on my hand, my nose is bleeding, my shorts are all blood, then after they say that I’m limping.
“It’s a compliment. As a creative player, a winger that wants to dribble, you’re going to get kicked. It’s up to you. You have a choice. Do you get on with it or do you go down? I always make the choice to continue.”