SportFootballEngland football teamBukayo Saka was only fit to feature as a substitute against Croatia but could get the nod from the start when England face Ghana on Tuesday00:49, 23 Jun 2026Thomas Tuchel says Declan Rice is now one of the best midfielders in the world. Rice is set to win his 75th cap against Ghana on Tuesday night in Boston and has been given a glowing tribute by his international boss.‌England boss Tuchel said: “The point where he is now is one of the very best midfielders in the world. You see a humble, humble footballer, humble, ready to be a team player, ready every day to give energy into the good quality into the group and just ready to learn and learn every day.‌“So his career makes him one of the very best at the moment. So proud peace coach.”‌Tuchel says Bukayo Saka is fit to start against Ghana but may not actually get the green light because there is such competition for places.But Saka’s return to full fitness after an Achilles injury is a major boost for England ahead of the the rest of the tournament.Tuchel added: "It's another big thing on the right wing between Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka and the beautiful thing is they do it for Arsenal as well. Bukayo is getting better and better, feels no more pain and he is ready to go - without telling you if he starts or comes from the bench.‌"Everyone has trained, everyone is available. No matter whether it's Marc (Guehi) in defence or Marcus (Rashford) and Bukayo (Saka), they all bought into it, the team as starters or coming on from the bench.”Tuchel did a U-turn by saying he does not like hydration breaks - even though originally he said they were necessary because of the climate.But England did lose momentum against Croatia last week and Tuchel said that is a problem in this tournament. Tuchel added: “I think it interrupts and changes the identity of the football match much more than I thought.‌“I had, of course, hydration breaks before. They were needed, but they were shorter. They were shorter and they were just in a few matches.“Now it is a point of fairness to every team. Now it breaks the match almost in four quarters. I think it changes the characteristics of the match more than I thought. I like it as a coach, of course, to have influence and have my team together.‌“But overall I think I like football more when it's played in one go. It builds momentum, it's part of the game. It's hard to build momentum and it's hard to keep the momentum. It's just like the battle on the field between the players and the teams.“It plays out over a longer period of time. It just adds to the characteristic of a beautiful game. This takes away from it. But in terms of fairness, of course it makes sense that everyone gets it.”Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Article continues belowChoose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Thomas TuchelEngland football teamBukayo Saka