'Please': Arsenal told their 'diamond' player simply can't play for his country tonight

The oldest fixture in international football will take place on Tuesday night when two old rivals, England and Scotland, lock horns in a so-called friendly fixture, 150 years on from their first encounter, with every chance that Bukayo Saka plays.

But Arsenal expert Charles Watts doesn’t want the 22-year-old starting because he fears the game will be played on the edge with ‘tackles flying in’, as he told Inside Arsenal.

Saka started England’s 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Saturday, as he has become a regular starter under Gareth Southgate in recent times.

The England boss, ahead of this game, did hint that he will take the game seriously and play a strong team, so that problem means Saka playing from the off.

But that’s something that Watts is hoping doesn’t happen because of the worry that the Hale-End star might get injured ahead of a pile-up of fixtures for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Bukayo Saka against Scotland

“Lots of Arsenal players potentially in action tonight,” said Watts. “You look at the England and Scotland game. You have Declan Rice, and Eddie Nketiah, he wasn’t even in the squad for the game against Ukraine.

“I imagine Declan Rice will start. It’s a friendly. It’s against Scotland. It’s going to be brutal. It will be really passionate. High intensity. Tackles flying in.

“It’s everything you don’t want Bukayo Saka to be involved in. So, please, Gareth Southgate. Don’t play, Bukayo Saka tonight.

“I know those ‘please’ are going to fall on deaf ears. Of course, he is going to play him. But, hopefully, Bukayo Saka comes back unscathed. He could come up against Kieran Tierney, which could be an interesting match-up.”Saka a key player for England

That fresh-faced teenager who first broke through at Arsenal as a left-back is now a key player, not only on the domestic stage, but for his country also.

That’s why he was dubbed a ‘diamond’ player by Owen Hargreaves following Arsenal’s win over Manchester United before the international break.

These past 12 months have seen Saka rise to the highest levels he has ever reached in his career and if that continues as Arsenal return to the Champions League, then the conversation about whether Saka is world-class or not can start.