Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice trained on Saturday ahead of England vs Ghana World Cup on Tuesday, while Bukayo Saka stayed on an individual programme and looked likely to start on the bench again. England go into their second game in Group L top of the group after the 4-2 win over Croatia.
Bukayo Saka in Kansas City
Thomas Tuchel said Saka is managing an achilles problem and is not ready to complete a full 90 minutes yet. That is why the winger stayed indoors at England’s training base in Kansas City on Saturday instead of joining the full session.
Saka had already come off the bench in the 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday. Noni Madueke will start again on the right when England face Ghana in Boston.
Rashford And Rice Move Freely
Rashford came on and scored the fourth goal against Croatia, then complained of a minor muscular problem after the match. He looked in good shape when England returned to training after a day off on Friday, and his place in the session is a cleaner sign of availability than any projected lineup guess.
Rice also gave England a useful sign. He went off in the 72nd minute against Croatia after feeling discomfort in his lower back and upper hamstring, but he appeared to be moving freely when Tuchel ran his players through passing drills.
England’s Group L Selection
The selection picture now sits on two tracks. Rashford and Rice trained with the group, while Saka remained on a controlled programme as England managed him carefully ahead of Tuesday’s second game in Group L.
For England, the immediate issue is not the opening win over Croatia. It is whether Saka can be pushed beyond substitute minutes without carrying the achilles problem deeper into the group stage. Tuchel’s message leaves the right side settled for Ghana, with Madueke due to start and Saka still being eased back.
