Eberechi Eze walked into the England camp in Florida with the sting of a Champions League final shootout miss still fresh — but his manager and teammates are already ensuring he feels supported. The Arsenal playmaker was one of four Gunners stars who linked up with the Three Lions on Sunday, having been granted extra time off after their penalty heartbreak in Budapest and the subsequent Premier League trophy parade.
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke joined Eze in Tampa, where the squad is based ahead of the World Cup in North America. The quartet were absent for England’s first warm-up match on Saturday, a 1-0 victory over New Zealand, with Thomas Tuchel fielding two different XIs across the two halves.
“Arsenal quartet Rice, Saka, Eze, Madueke join England squad in Florida after Premier League win and Champions League final heartbreak.”
Now, with the four Arsenal men available, England have a full complement for their second and final warm-up against Costa Rica on Wednesday night (9pm BST). Tuchel’s side open their group campaign against Croatia a week later, followed by fixtures against Ghana (23 June) and Panama (27 June).
For Eze, the extra week off was perhaps more valuable than for his clubmates. He saw his spot-kick saved in the penalty shootout that saw Arsenal lose to Paris Saint-Germain after the final finished level. But Tuchel insisted the group will rally around him. “Of course it's painful for Ebs,” the England manager said. “But of course I will take care of it, the group will take care of him and I think the extra week they had will help a lot.”
Tuchel pointed to the club’s Premier League triumph, which ended a 22-year title drought, as a cushion against the final disappointment. “I'm very happy that they got the title in England. I think that took a lot of weight off their shoulders and they were aware they did what they could and they were very close in the final,” he added.
The manager is confident his Arsenal contingent need no lifting. “I don't think I will need to lift them. They've absolutely had a great season. I'm always happy to do it if I have to but they should know that a final just comes down to one or two shots in a penalty shoot-out which means it cannot be closer.”
Rice, Saka, Eze and Madueke were pictured being greeted by their England teammates in Florida, with the official England social media account confirming their arrival with the message: “Reunited. Our four Arsenal players have joined up with the Three Lions in Florida.”
With the World Cup now less than two weeks away, the quartet will hope to impress against Costa Rica and force their way into Tuchel’s starting XI for the Croatia opener.