Bukayo Saka says England still carry the “scar” of their agonising World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina as they prepare to face the reigning champions Spain at Wembley.
Thomas Tuchel’s side came within sight of a first men’s World Cup final since 1966 before two late Argentina goals turned the match in their opponents’ favour and condemned England to a 2-1 defeat.
A 6-4 victory over France in the bronze medal match secured England’s best finish at the tournament in 60 years, but the disappointment of falling short has remained.
“Obviously, there is still a scar on us when you believed and everyone was so united and so confident we could do it,” Saka said. “Not just us, but the whole country we felt.
“You try to move on as soon as possible, but you know a scar is a scar, it decides to heal when it heals itself.”
England begin a new Nations League campaign against Spain on Saturday, with four group matches scheduled over the next fortnight as they attempt to put the World Cup behind them.
“We are trying to draw a line under [the World Cup] now and focus on the new international season that we have coming up,” Saka said. “We have got four massive, difficult group games to try and qualify us for the Nations League [knockouts] that we are really focused on.”
Saka also believes his Arsenal team-mate Max Dowman could soon be pushing for senior international recognition. The 16-year-old has attracted considerable attention with his performances at club level.
“His talent is insane,” Saka said. “It’s up to him how far he is going to go in football. His talent is crazy.”
England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley agreed that Dowman possesses “amazing talent”, but believes remaining with the under-19s during this international window could help manage his development.
Carsley said Dowman needs regular minutes and time to consolidate his progress without unnecessary pressure, adding that he expects the youngster to become part of the Under-21 setup in due course.
