World Cup 2022: Bukayo Saka 'more than happy' to take penalty against France if needed

Bukayo Saka addresses a press conference on Monday following England's victory against Senegal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Bukayo Saka has said he would be "more than happy" to take a penalty against France, if needed, insisting he is not haunted by his spot-kick miss in England's Euro 2020 final heartbreak.

The 21-year-old said England have nothing to fear about taking on the reigning World Cup champions this Saturday.

Saka and Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all failed to convert their penalties when England were defeated by Italy at Wembley Stadium.

But the Arsenal forward has dismissed any suggestion he would allow that experience to deter him from stepping up for his country in future.

"Obviously, I have matured and progressed a lot since that moment. I wouldn’t have stepped up the number of times I have for Arsenal if I was not confident," Saka told a press conference on Monday.

"If the moment comes and I am selected to take it, I will be more than happy to."

Saka was speaking less than a day after England had beaten Senegal 3-0 - a game in which he scored his third goal of the 2022 World Cup - to set up a quarter-final clash with France.

Les Bleus boast a wealth of talent amongst their team, including Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

However, Saka believes England have no reason to be overawed by their opposition and will prepare the "best gameplan" for the occasion.

'There is no doubt about the quality we have in our team'

He said: "If you look at our first four games, we had three clean sheets. That shows how solid we are at the back and we have scored the most goals as well.

"I feel we have just got to prepare the best game plan and go there with confidence. We are playing really good right now.

"There is no doubt about the quality we have in our team. We are blessed with an amazing front line. There is so much quality attacking players."

Saka was also asked about his Three Lions teammate Raheem Sterling, who has returned to England after armed intruders broke into his house.

"He wished us the best yesterday as he was going back. I’ve messaged him and hopefully he’ll get back to me later. I just hope he and his family are OK," he added.

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