Bukayo Saka showed his worth by scoring a hat-trick in England's barnstorming 6-4 win against France to finish third at the World Cup, having started neither of their previous two matches07:59, 19 Jul 2026Thomas Tuchel has explained why Bukayo Saka was given a reduced role at the World Cup after the England star admitted that he wanted to play more. Arsenal star Saka scored a hat-trick in Saturday's third-place play-off against France, as the Three Lions ran out 6-4 winners following one of the wildest games in World Cup history.‌The winger became only the fourth male England player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, matching the achievements of Sir Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane. But after coming into the tournament with an Achillies injury, Saka started just one of England's four knockout matches prior to beating France, and wasn't given a single minute in their late semi-final loss against Argentina.‌Post-match, Tuchel was asked why he didn't hand the 24-year-old a more prominent role. "He did everything right," the England manager acknowledged. "I just had the feeling in the semi-final for Morgan Rogers that he would be involved in something special, and that was it.‌"And then the game in itself demands so much, you're forced into changes because of cramps and the flow of the game so Bukayo showed he was a key player, it was never a doubt. I was not even aware he had a hat-trick, I lost the overview of all the goalscorers, but well-deserved credit."Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletter‌Tuchel went on to say: "He was excellent, Bukayo is a key player for me. He was ready to go in the World Cup, I felt still the responsibility as a coach, and with the history given where he came from to take it slow with Bukayo."He started quite some matches, it was a tough decision for me to leave him out of the semi-final. I had a feeling after the Norway match that Morgan Rogers had something special to give to us with his physicality and his body in the match against Argentina."We had him warm up several times against Argentina, we were ready to change but the game became so crazy that in the end we opted for a different option.‌Should Bukayo Saka have started more at the World Cup? Have your say in the comments section."But nothing has changed during this World Cup for me, Bukayo is a fantastic teammate, a fantastic football player, a key player for us, that will not change, he showed it again today, I'm happy for him and happy for us, he's excellent."Article continues belowSaka, meanwhile, made it clear that he was disappointed with his lack of action, having declared that he was fit. "Of course I would love to have played more but it's too late to talk about that," he admitted. "I try to do my talking on the pitch and it's done now, move on."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.Content cannot be displayed without consent