Arsenal's 'starboy' - but should England take a risk on Saka?

Every manager who works with Bukayo Saka ends up saying the same thing: "We have to be careful." During his time as England boss, Sir Gareth Southgate repeatedly talked about tailoring Saka's programme and avoiding unnecessary load. In the 2023-24 campaign - the heaviest season of his career - Saka played 59 matches, logged 4,756 minutes and completed 26 full games. It was also his most productive with 21 goals and 15 assists - numbers that placed him among Europe's elite wide forwards. But the strain was visible. He was kicked, clattered, targeted and eventually, something gave - a hamstring tear that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described as an "accumulation" injury. [BBC] Since then, the Gunners have taken a more measured approach, but the numbers still underline the scale of Saka's workload: 153 matches, 11,154 minutes and 61 full games across the past three seasons. Now, Thomas Tuchel faces the same dilemma that confronted Southgate. Saka is too important to leave out, too influential to rotate casually, and too valuable to run into the ground. England do not need him to play every minute - they need him available for the right ones. [BBC]