Bukayo Saka proved his worth with a hat-trick in England’s 6-4 thrashing of France, despite not having started in either of their previous two matches, as England finished third in the World Cup.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed his thoughts on not using Bukayo Saka any longer (Image: Carmen Mandato – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has explained why Bukayo Saka’s role was reduced at the World Cup after admitting the England star wished he had played more. Arsenal star Saka scored a hat-trick in Saturday’s third-place decider against France as the Three Lions ran out 6-4 winners after one of the most exciting games in World Cup history.
The winger became the fourth England man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup, equaling the feat of Sir Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane. However, Saka, who entered the tournament with an Achilles tendon injury, started only one of England’s four matches leading up to their win over France, and did not play even a minute in the match against Argentina at the end of the semi-finals.
After the match, Tuchel was asked why he didn’t give the 24-year-old a more prominent role. “He did everything right,” admitted the England manager. “I felt in the semifinals with Morgan Rogers that he was going to do something special, but that was it.
“And because the game itself is so demanding, with cramps and the flow of the game forcing substitutions, Bukayo proved he was a key player. There was no doubt about it. I didn’t even know he had a hat-trick and I forgot the profile of all the scorers, but it’s a well-deserved credit.”
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Tuchel continued: “He’s been great and Bukayo is a key player for me. He was ready for the World Cup, but I still felt a responsibility as a manager. And given where he comes from, I felt it was necessary to take it slow with Bukayo.”
“He started quite a few games. It was a difficult decision for me to leave him out of the semi-finals. After the Norway game, I felt that Morgan Rodgers could give us something special with his physicality and body against Argentina.”
“We had him warm up a few times against Argentina and we were ready to make the change, but the game got too crazy so in the end we went with another option.
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Bukayo Saka makes history with a hat-trick (Image: Luke Hales/Getty Images)
“But nothing has changed for me during this World Cup. Bukayo is a great teammate, a great footballer, an important player for us and that hasn’t changed. He showed that today too. I’m happy for him and happy for us. He’s great.”
Meanwhile, Saka declared himself fit and revealed that he was disappointed in his lack of action. “Of course I wanted to play more, but it’s too late to talk about it,” he admitted. “I’m trying to get my words across on the pitch, but that’s over now. I’m moving on.”
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