Arsenal star Bukayo Saka responds to critics who mock him for limping in games

Bukayo Saka has expressed his excitement at returning to the England squad after achieving another milestone for Arsenal - and has a message for the critics who mock him for limping at the end of matches. The 24-year-old forward's penalty against West Ham marked his 100th goal contribution (55 goals, 45 assists) in 200 Premier League matches.

In a week when Jude Bellingham was omitted from Thomas Tuchel's squad, Saka made it clear he is eager to make his mark for England. He stated: "I'm really happy to be back playing for England. I've missed a lot of fixtures under Thomas Tuchel which I'm not happy with as a lot of them have been due to injuries.

"I'm really happy that I get a chance to come back to St George's Park, train with the team and play with the team. I'm looking forward to it."

England are set to host Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before welcoming Latvia for their latest World Cup qualification match.

Saka, who has already endured a hamstring injury this season, shrugged off an ankle knock on Saturday to score. The Arsenal ace is prepared to keep pushing through the pain - even if critics ridicule his limping.

He added: "It's part of it. I have blood on my hand, my nose is bleeding, my shorts are all blood, then after they say that I'm limping.

"It's a compliment. As a creative player, a winger that wants to dribble, you're going to get kicked. It's up to you. You have a choice. Do you get on with it or do you go down? I always make the choice to continue."