Saka not available for England, says Arteta

Bukayo Saka will not join up with England for October’s international fixtures, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Sunday.

Saka missed a Premier League game for the first time since May, 2021 as Arsenal earned a 1-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, ending a streak of 87 consecutive appearances.

His failure to recover from a hamstring injury will keep Saka out of England’s friendly against Australia on 13 October and the European Championship qualifier against Italy four days later.

“No, he will not make it,” Arteta said. “He has not trained for a single session. He is not available to play football at the moment.”

England manager Gareth Southgate said last week he would be cautious with Saka, despite the fact England can seal qualification for next year’s European Championship.