British manager Gareth Southgate has been given the go-ahead by the Football Association to participate in the FA Cup semifinals next weekend at Wembley.
After months without being able to visit a field to watch some of his players in action for their clubs, the manager of England, according to a report from the Mail, will be authorized to Wembley next weekend for the double header of the Cup d ‘England.
On Saturday, Arsenal face Manchester City before Chelsea stop with Manchester United just under 24 hours later.
This news will be a welcome relief for Southgate, who would have had the ambition to lead England to UEFA Euro 2020 glory this summer if the tournament had not been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, as it was forced to watch the restart of the Premier League at home on TV.
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While this option would have offered the former Middlesbrough boss the opportunity to see some of his players in action, it would not have been the same as being on a field, which, of course, would have allowed the head of the Three Lions to watch his players in and out of the ball, as opposed to a TV camera focused on the player in possession.
This news means that Southgate will be able to take a careful look at the development of Arsenal Bukayo Saka’s wing.
The teenage star, who made his debut with the Gunners in November 2018, was one of the club’s top performers this year, which recently led to speculation about his club-wide future.
But the wing has cleared all fears that Arsenal could have lost by losing the card on paper for a new long-term deal at Emirates Stadium last week.
While Saka may have resolved her club-level future, she has yet to decide which country she wishes to play internationally in, as she qualifies to play in both England and Nigeria.
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He has already played for the Three Lions at Under 16, 17, 18 and 19, but may still choose to play for Nigeria at senior level.
But if Southgate is impressed by Saka during the semi-final clash of the Cup of England next week with the city of Pep Guardiola, the head of England may be able to convince Saka to choose England as his national side by offering him the promise of being in his next international team football returns.
Saka would certainly present a new option for England and Southgate, especially if the English boss wishes to use it as a left-back, with Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell currently the only true choice of the Three Lions for that particular role.
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