International managers face a constant balancing act when it comes to players who may not be fully fit.Thomas Tuchel heads into the World Cup with Bukayo Saka nursing an Achilles issue that forced him to withdraw from England’s March international squad and then miss a month of club football before helping Arsenal win their first Premier League title in 22 years.“Bukayo is still getting there, playing through discomfort at the end of the season. He is managing it and playing at a high level, but still not at 100 per cent,” the England manager said before their 3-0 win against Costa Rica.“He is the one we are building and taking care of in training. Some things are missing: consecutive training. They (Arsenal) took very good care of him and were very aware of it at Arsenal, and we will do a little bit the same.”Saka came on for Noni Madueke in the 63rd minute against Costa Rica, and will need similar care once England’s campaign begins on Wednesday against Croatia.This will be the winger’s fourth major tournament with England, and he has risen to become a key player in each of the last three.His breakout in Euro 2020 (played in 2021) began with a start in England’s final group game against the Czech Republic, but caught fire with an exceptional round-of-16 performance against Germany en route to the final. In 2022, he scored twice on his World Cup debut against Iran and once against Senegal in the round of 16, before winning the penalty Harry Kane scored in England’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat by France. At Euro 2024, he scored a late equaliser against Switzerland, eventually taking the game to penalties as England reached another final.With 49 England caps and 14 goals, Saka is vital for his country — but such reliance is a double-edged sword when managing his game time, as Mikel Arteta and Tuchel have found.Saka is only 24 but has made 312 Arsenal appearances. That puts him in the top 50 in the club’s records, ahead of icons such as Liam Brady, Bob Wilson and Cesc Fabregas.While that is some achievement, it has come at a cost.His club manager Arteta has not always had the strength in depth he now possesses at Arsenal.As a result, Saka’s quality and versatility meant he was Arsenal’s most-used outfield player as a 19-year-old, and across multiple positions.He ranked in the top two for minutes played at Arsenal for three successive seasons between the ages of 18 and 21.