Arsenal withdrawals dominate headlines as Tuchel defends Rice and Saka exit from England duty | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has said it made no sense for Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka to remain with England after withdrawing from the squad this week.

Rice and Saka will not feature against Japan tomorrow after withdrawing from the England squad with injuries.

Arsenal teammate Noni Madueke has also returned to the North London side, part of several withdrawals that also include Manchester City centre-back John Stones and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton.

The withdrawals of the Arsenal trio has made headlines, with 10 different Arsenal players having withdrawn from various international squads this month. It comes as the Gunners chasePremier League title success this season.

Speaking at his pre-match press conferenceahead of the Japan game, Tuchel defended the decision for Rice and Saka to leave the camp. He insisted that both players were 'desperate' to feature but that their involvement was not worth the 'risk'.

"They wanted desperately to play to get the narrative straight, but it made no sense to make the risk," Tuchel told the media.

"If it was the last game of the season we would have kept them, but in this moment of the season it did not make sense. The risk for making it was way too big.

"They were both clearly in discomfort when we did the medical assessment. It made absolutely no sense that they stayed.

"It helps them go back to clubs and perform. We want them to perform in their clubs, but it is also our last camp before America, so we want to reconnect to our principles. I'm not upset or angry with the players.

"I got the feeling that everyone was desperate to come. Some of the injured players even stayed to do their treatment, that shows they want to be around the group. No one left straight away, it's a good spirit and that's how it should be."