Bukayo Saka was not involved in group training yesterday as England stepped up preparations for Tuesday’s World Cup clash with Ghana.

Saka, who came off the bench in Wednesday’s opening win against Croatia, was training on an individual programme as he continues to manage an Achilles injury which troubled him in the latter part of the domestic season.

There are no concerns for Saka’s fitness for the match in Boston as his trajectory towards full fitness continues.

Boss Thomas Tuchel expects him to be ready to start the final group game against Panama next Saturday.

Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa criticised the introduction of hydration breaks at this summer’s World Cup, arguing the stoppages in play marked a “change of culture” which “adds nothing” to the sport.

Fifa has introduced mandatory three-minute drinks breaks at the halfway point of each half, ostensibly due to sweltering temperatures across many host cities in the tournament spanning the United States, Mexico and Canada.

But the breaks have come in for widespread criticism for artificially changing the momentum of games, as well as for allowing yet more opportunities for advertising, while balmy temperatures in several games so far have rendered them unnecessary.

Lamine Yamal saw the last 19 minutes of action during Spain’s shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, and was unable to inject creativity into Spain’s attack as they failed to beat the World Cup debutants.

He is not expecting to start against Saudi Arabia as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury suffered a couple of minutes before the tournament. The teenager is also prepared to be patient.

“It’s too soon, it’s unnecessary,” Yamal told RTVE. “I’m in an adaptation process, it’s not the time to play a full match, but I can play as many minutes as the manager wants.”

Declan Rice senses he will get an assist every time he takes a set-piece as England attempt to tap into the Arsenal midfielder’s dead-ball expertise at the World Cup.

“I wouldn’t ever take corners or set-pieces, but (set piece coach) Nico (Jover) and the manager (Mikel Arteta) at Arsenal saw something in me that others didn’t,” Rice told the BBC.

“They said that I can put balls in areas from a dead ball that no-one else can in the team at Arsenal other than Bukayo (Saka). From that moment, I really just bought into that, believed in that.

“As time has gone on I feel like now every time I put down a ball for a set-piece – whether it’s a corner or a wide free-kick – I feel like I’m going to get an assist or make something happen that’s dangerous.

“That’s a good mentality to have over set-pieces… and England fans can be excited.”

A French TV presenter has apologised after criticising Belgium winger Jeremy Doku’s decision to leave the World Cup to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Doku, who will Belgium’s match against Iran on Sunday due to a chest infection, revealed that his wife Shireen is due during the second week of July - which will coincide with the quarter-finals.

The Manchester City forward, 24, told Reuters that he plans to leave the World Cup and return home even if Belgium are still in the tournament. Belgian media reported that plans are being put in place so Doku can travel home via private jet.

However, Doku’s comments were criticised by Channel L'Equipe presenter France Pierron, who said the father is “completely useless” during their child’s birth.

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei has criticised their increasingly difficult preparation conditions ​for Sunday's World Cup match against Belgium, questioning why U.S. authorities appear willing to offer his team greater travel flexibility for their final group game but not their opening fixtures.

Iran have spent the tournament based in Tijuana, Mexico, commuting to the U.S. for their Group G matches because of restrictions surrounding their stay in the country, an issue that has drawn scrutiny throughout the World Cup.

U.S. officials have said the Iran squad's travel arrangements would continue to be assessed, while discussions over easing some restrictions have continued.

Speaking on Saturday, Ghalenoei said the latest schedule left his team with less than 16 hours to prepare and forced them to cut training short ahead of their meeting with Belgium.

"We ⁠only managed to train half the time we usually spend on training," he told reporters via an interpreter. "We wanted to have optimal physical and technical preparation.

The coach said the situation was worse than before Iran's opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand. He said that before that match they had 24 hours to train. "The conditions have become ‌even harder," he said.

Roy Keane has criticised the wives and girlfriends of England footballers for wearing shirts displaying their partners' surnames during the World Cup.

The commentator and former Manchester United captain, 54, told The Overlap podcast: "Children is fine, but all the wives and partners were in their jerseys with their name on the back, wow...

"The wives, a year later, they're separated, most of them. Wow. And they're all getting pictures, and they're like, 'Look," and they're pointing at Jimmy or Johnny on the back."

Ian Wright appeared to disagree, saying: "Her husband's playing, and she's proud of him, and she wants to wear his shirt."

Keane added: "They don't do it at Old Trafford or Anfield every week, do they? So what's with this World Cup?"

England defender Reece James says the constant talk around his injury problems is “so boring now”.

James’ career has been plagued by injuries, which saw him suffer heartbreak when ruled out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a disappointment that was compounded by also missing England’s run to the Euro 2024 final.

“People always talk about injuries and availability, and to me it’s so boring now.” James told BBC 5 Live. “I have one job, which is to be the best I can when I’m on the pitch. To be honest, I understand the stigma at the start, but after a while it gets boring.

“I’ve been fit for a long time before my last injury, and I don’t listen to too much noise. I just focus on myself, my body, trying to perform the best I can and help the team I’m playing in.”

Japanese fans celebrated their team's ​4-0 victory over Tunisia in the 1,000th match in World Cup history on Saturday by staying behind at Monterrey’s stadium to collect rubbish from the stands.

The practice, known in Japan as gomi hiroi, reflects an emphasis on taking responsibility for shared spaces.

Ken Okawa, 30, said he was happy to bring this tradition to his very first World Cup match as he stooped down to collect discarded cups ⁠and other garbage from the floor ​around ⁠his seat.

"We are guests in Mexico," he said. "I have been treated wonderfully, so this is my way of showing my appreciation."

The practice is instilled from a very young age in Japan, ​where ⁠schoolchildren are taught to clean ‌up their own classrooms.

Miku Takeya, 41, said that the habit of tidying up after herself has become second nature.

"It's a natural part ‌of our culture," she said. "We do this ‌to ensure that everything we use is left clean so that the next person can use it comfortably."

Spain do not have to win when they take on Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday, owing to the bloated format at World Cup 2026, but improvements in attack will be a must.

Having been held by Cape Verde in one of the great World Cup shocks on Monday, Luis de la Fuente will be hoping star man Lamine Yamal can contribute more than 19 minutes off the bench as he battles back from a hamstring injury.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, battled to a creditable draw against Uruguay in their opener and have no reason to feel overawed having beaten Argentina at the last tournament in Qatar.