Thomas Tuchel says Bukayo Saka needs to be carefully steered back to full fitness as England head into a World Cup where they must “dare to dream”.
History is against 1966 winners England, head coach Tuchel pointed out.
But his view is that “a bit of luck”, plus sharp focus and self-belief, could make his team serious trophy challengers if they come through the early rounds.
Having his most important players available may be key, and Saka ranks highly among that contingent.
The Arsenal winger missed part of the climax to the domestic season because of an Achilles injury, though he did return in time for the club’s run-in as they won the Premier League title.
Tuchel said Saka, who has scored 14 goals in 48 appearances for the Three Lions, still requires careful attention before the tournament – which has raised some concerns given he is a key player.
“We still have to take a little bit of care for Bukayo [Saka] who had an injury in March and carried it through the club campaign,” Tuchel told a news conference.
“He made himself available at the end of the season and did so brilliantly, but he was managed in between matches. That continues a bit at the moment – we are building him up.
“We just came from training and everyone was involved including Bukayo.”
Tuchel said he must assess Saka and the rest of his England squad before deciding who starts the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on Wednesday (21:00 BST).
Having made 11 changes at half-time in Saturday’s 1-0 win against New Zealand, Tuchel will give some players a longer run-out to build their fitness before the tournament opener with Croatia on 17 June.
John Stones is among the players who could benefit from more game time having played a peripheral role at Manchester City last season.
“Of course [Stones can start]. Everyone can start – everyone is fit and ready and John is one of them,” said Tuchel.
“Before this, we have two more matches to play and hopefully we take the next step. Hopefully we all stay healthy and have the full availability for Croatia.
“No-one needs a break. Everyone is available which is very good news. No [injury] complaints after the first match.
“[We’ve had] one day of recovery and two good training sessions. We are ready to give it a push tomorrow – meaning more than 45 minutes.
“Players will play 60, maybe 70 minutes. We will make this decision in the afternoon.”
