Bukayo Saka has not been at his sharpest at this World Cup.
Managing his Achilles throughout the tournament and being carefully handled by Thomas Tuchel, he has not been the explosive, unstoppable version Arsenal fans know best.
And yet he still leads England in assists with three.
His delivery for Jude Bellingham’s opener against Mexico came from a typical Saka run and take-on down the right flank, finding his teammate with the cross.
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He showed everyone just what he can offer even when operating at less than full capacity.
Now, with England preparing to face Norway and the fascinating Arsenal subplot of Declan Rice vs Martin Odegaard on the horizon on Saturday, Saka has had kind words for his club teammate who just had his own World Cup moment.
Bukayo Saka sends message to Mikel Merino after World Cup winner
Speaking to MARCA at England’s training camp in Kansas, Saka was asked about Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time winner against Portugal in the round of 16.
The Arsenal man latched onto an intricate pass from Ferran Torres and delivered a composed, calm finish into the bottom-left corner just five minutes after coming off the bench, sending Spain through to the quarter-finals.
“It was a great goal,” Saka said. “I’m very happy for him because I saw how hard he had to fight after his injury to be able to get to the World Cup in good shape.
“He worked very hard for this and made it possible for him to be here. I’m proud of him and I congratulate him from here.”
Merino missed much of last season through injury and his place at the World Cup was far from guaranteed heading into the summer.
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He has a knack for producing these huge match-winning moments, which says everything about his mentality. It’s no wonder he is part of Mikel Arteta’s leadership group.
The other Arsenal players in the squad — Martin Zubimendi and David Raya — are yet to feature in the tournament.
Spain face Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday, while England face Norway the following day.
Arsenal will have players on both sides of both games this weekend, and Saka, fitness permitting, will be hoping to add to his assist tally and help England make it to the last four.
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