England manager Thomas Tuchel has addressed the media for the first time following the departure of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice from the national team camp.
The Arsenal duo returned to their club for further medical assessments ahead of England’s friendly against Japan.
Speaking on Monday, Tuchel insisted that keeping the pair in camp would have been an unnecessary gamble.
While the German manager noted that both players were eager to feature, the physical risks far outweighed the benefits.
“Saka and Rice wanted to play… but it made no sense to take this risk for us and for them,” Tuchel stated.
Highlighting the injury concerns, he added: “They were clearly in discomfort. There was a risk of making it worse.”