“Saka sustained an injury during Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday, casting doubt on his availability for their crucial Premier League clash with Manchester City this Sunday.
Nevertheless, Southgate has included the 22-year-old in the England squad for their upcoming friendly against Australia and their Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy later this month. When questioned about his decision to select Saka despite his injury, Southgate stated on Thursday, ‘He’s still undergoing assessment. Clearly, they have an important match this weekend, followed by a week before our game against Australia and 10 days before Italy.’
Saka, who has featured in 87 consecutive Premier League matches for Arsenal, suffered an injury scare during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham last month but managed to start in the 4-0 victory over Bournemouth the following Saturday. In the recent game, he left the field with 14 minutes remaining and was a source of concern ahead of the Champions League match against Lens this week.
Mikel Arteta expressed concern about Saka’s injury after Arsenal’s defeat to Lens, stating, ‘The injury was significant enough to prevent him from continuing in the game, which is a cause for concern for us.’
This season, Saka has contributed five goals and four assists for Arsenal.”