Bukayo Saka left out of England’s squad to face Andorra after knock

By Simon Peach, PA Chief Football Writer, Barcelona

Bukayo Saka has been left out of England’s squad for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra.

Thomas Tuchel’s side continue the road to next summer’s tournament at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona against the side ranked 173rd in the world.

A minor injury saw Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins leave the camp on the eve of the Group K clash, while Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher and Arsenal forward Saka will miss the Andorra game after being left out of the matchday squad submitted to Uefa.

Tuchel revealed Saka was suffering with a knock on Friday but thinks he can feature in Tuesday’s friendly against Senegal.

“It’s nice to see that he’s back because he wanted to be back, and you straight away see when he comes in that he is comfortable to be with the squad, he knows what it takes to be a national player,” the England boss said.

“He came into camp with a little bit of discomfort from the last match against Southampton, so we took care of him and treated him individually until (Friday) basically.

“It was the first training session that he started and finished with the group. (Thursday), he started with the group but did not finish with the group, so let’s see.

“I’m not sure if we take the risk for the game. The decision has not been taken, but he will be available for the Senegal match, and he plays a major role in our thoughts of how to build a competitive team.”