Gary Neville Raises Concerns Over Bukayo Saka's Form for England

Bukayo Saka has always been England’s live wire. The grin, the drive, the feeling that something might happen every time he receives the ball. In North America, that version of Saka has barely been seen.

Gary Neville has gone public with his concern. Speaking on Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet, he painted a picture of a player running on fumes rather than fearlessly running at full-backs.

“Bukayo Saka doesn't look right at all,” Neville said. “He's usually the boy that's bubbling and smiling, he's got that competitive edge to him, but he's not right and that's a concern to us, I think."

This is not a simple dip in form. Saka has been carrying a persistent Achilles problem, an issue the FA’s medical staff have had to monitor closely throughout the tournament. The injury has stalked him for months, shaping both Arsenal’s run-in and England’s plans.

Thomas Tuchel has treated him like a precious resource. Saka has appeared in all three group matches, but only from the bench, his minutes rationed carefully as England edged their way into the knockouts. The management is cautious; the debate around it is anything but.

This guy needs a break

Ian Wright, never shy when it comes to defending attacking talent, is now wondering whether England should have brought Saka at all.

Saka himself admitted before the tournament that he was “happy to gamble” with his fitness. The gamble looks heavy on risk, light on reward. Months of relentless football have left him looking drained, not decisive.

Wright’s verdict is blunt. The winger has struggled to complete 90 minutes for some time, and the pattern has followed him across the Atlantic.

"We're going into a World Cup, and still not starting the first few games, only starting when we're three games in, and still isn't looking like the Saka that we know – this guy needs a break," Wright said.

That’s not a throwaway line from a pundit searching for a hot take. Wright has watched Saka closely at Arsenal and with England. To him, the spark has dimmed.

England’s wing problem

Saka’s condition is only part of a wider worry. Tuchel’s entire supply line from the flanks has misfired.

Anthony Gordon has had his chance. Noni Madueke too. Neither has yet seized it with the conviction required at this level. The result is an England attack that leans heavily on Jude Bellingham’s surges from midfield and Harry Kane’s ruthless finishing, rather than a balanced front line stretching teams from touchline to touchline.

The lack of threat out wide has been obvious. Attacks slow down when they reach the wings, the tempo drops, and defenders reset. The old England problem of predictability has crept back in, only this time with a different cast.

Roy Keane sees danger ahead if that doesn’t change quickly.

"The wingers need to grab their opportunity. These players haven't quite grabbed their opportunity yet," he said. "In the group games, you can maybe slip up in one of them, but now at least one of them has to start turning up."

The message is clear: the grace period is over. Group stages forgive; knockout football does not.

A brutal path ahead

England now head to Atlanta for a last-32 tie against DR Congo. On paper, it is a fixture they should control. In reality, it sits at the start of a punishing potential route that leaves no room for a malfunctioning attack.

Win there, and the picture darkens. Mexico or Ecuador are likely to stand in the way next. Come through that, and Brazil loom as probable quarter-final opponents. Survive Brazil, and the reward could be the toughest test of all: reigning champions Argentina in the semi-finals.

Wright can see a way through some of that maze, but not all of it.

"I think if we can get to Brazil we could probably beat Brazil," he said. "But then I think we’d have problems after that. I said England would reach the semi-final from the start."

It is an optimistic ceiling, not an open horizon. Keane, true to type, strips away any romance around a potential meeting with Lionel Messi and company.

"England would have absolutely no chance of beating Argentina in the semi’s, I just can’t see it," he stated.

Those are stark words, but they reflect a broader unease. Against the very best, you cannot limp through on moments from Bellingham and Kane alone. You need width, running power, and end product from the flanks. You need Saka at something close to his best, or someone else playing like him.

Right now, England have neither.

As the tournament sharpens into knockout tension, Tuchel faces a brutal calculation: keep gambling on a diminished Saka, or trust that one of his other wingers finally catches fire before the opposition do.