Arsenal and England fans could have been forgiven for raising eyebrows when they saw Thomas Tuchel’s England starting XI for the World Cup ‘bronze final’ against France.Declan Rice’s inclusion may have increased heart rates given the hamstring issues he has been nursing, but Bukayo Saka starting and scoring a hat-trick while completing 90 minutes just days after not being brought on in the semi-final defeat to Argentina begged the question “Why now?” for many.In fairness to Saka, when asked by BBC Sport if he could have played a bigger part in England’s tournament, what else would he say other than: “Of course I would have loved to have played more, but it’s too late to talk about that. I try to do my talking on the pitch.” He added “I’m fit” when pushed.On the semi-final, Tuchel spoke of Morgan Rogers’ physicality as a reason for him to start and then the crazy nature of the second half when opting for different substitutions than to bring on Saka.The German added: “Bukayo is a key player for me. He was ready to go in the World Cup. I still felt the responsibility as a coach and with the (injury) history he came from, to take it slow with Bukayo. He started some matches and it was a tough decision for me to leave him out of the semi-final.”Saka was not able to train early in the World Cup because of his recent Achilles issue and Tuchel’s comments came in the context of the 24-year-old going full pelt for club and country since his teens — Saka ranked in the top two for minutes played at Arsenal for three successive seasons between the ages of 18 and 21.The issue most may struggle to get past is not that Saka did not start against Argentina, but that he did not come on at all.His response on the pitch in the display against France may feed result-based conclusions, but his history with England should give an indication of how critical he is to their present and future.Saka has constantly stepped up for England at tournaments despite questions over him.He came into Euro 2020 with some insisting he should be used as a left wing-back, but stole the show at right wing in the round-of-16 win over Germany and took a penalty in the shootout defeat to Italy in the final aged 19. At the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, the debates were whether Phil Foden or Saka should start on the right.Saka got the nod, and responded with important moments, including a penalty-winning foul against France in the 2022 quarter-finals, an assist for England’s only goal in their opening win over Serbia in 2024 and a late equaliser against Switzerland later in the tournament.Before this month’s semi-final, Saka became just the third English player to assist three goals at a World Cup, averaging one every 64 minutes. These too were important, with the openers against Panama and Mexico assisted by him and scored by Jude Bellingham.These two players are the most reliable attacking figures England will have in a post-Harry Kane world. Saka was the third top-scorer for England in this summer’s World Cup squad before the tournament began, behind Kane (aged 32) and Marcus Rashford (aged 28). Kane could play at 34 in the next European Championships in 2028, but having as integral a role aged 36 at the 2030 World Cup seems unlikely.With these tournaments in mind, the responsibility felt by Tuchel this summer and Mikel Arteta towards the back-end of the season (when Saka’s minutes were managed with Arsenal) becomes even more important. Arteta cited the impact of the accumulation of game-time across seasons specifically in relation to Saka days after he tore a hamstring in December 2024, and did look to rotate more on the right wing with the signing of Noni Madueke last season.Arteta nor Tuchel will want to be in situations when they cannot use one of the most influential players in their biggest games, so continuing to protect him could be vital for upcoming seasons and tournaments.Tuchel and Saka in discussion during the game against France (Luke Hales/Getty Images)Comparisons were made between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain’s usage of players before this year’s Champions League final, with nine Arsenal players playing more than 2,000 league minutes compared to PSG’s three.While the strength of the Premier League compared to Ligue 1 makes rotation more difficult, the demands on Saka have been non-stop since he arrived in the first team.Saka will get at least three weeks off now, but the demands of a new season should not override a clear need to be eased back in even if the winger says he is fit.He featured in both of Arsenal’s opening league matches after helping England reach the final of the last two European Championships. The weight of three points in the Premier League is what contributed to that, but envisaging the 2026-27 season and beyond, more long-term thinking would benefit the futures of Saka, Arsenal and England.He will deliver when called upon, it is just a matter of enabling him to answer the call in the best way possible.