England are facing a major double fitness scare ahead of their World Cup quarter-final clash against Norway on Saturday night, with defenders Marc Guehi and midfielder Declan Rice both doubtful. The Three Lions are taking steps to avoid a crisis as manager Thomas Tuchel could be forced into significant selection decisions.
Guehi's hamstring injury
Guehi picked up a minor hamstring injury during last weekend's 3-2 win over Mexico in the round of 16. He was unable to take part in England's final training session before the team left their base in Kansas City for Miami on Thursday. While the injury is not believed to be serious, England are unlikely to take any risks with his fitness considering Norway's Erling Haaland will lead the line. Guehi will be further assessed on Friday, when a final decision will be made on his availability. He is currently believed to have a 50-50 chance of being in contention.
Rice's illness and ongoing issues
Rice has missed two consecutive days of training because of a sickness bug. The Arsenal midfielder has been isolated from the rest of the squad in an attempt to stop the bug from spreading. He will hope to return in time to face Norway, who have also had illness in their camp this week. Rice is already battling pain in his hamstring and back, issues which were present throughout the second half of last season at Arsenal and also forced his substitution in England's World Cup opener against Croatia. He was rested for the win over Panama to finish Group L — having also carried a suspension risk — after sustaining a calf issue in the goalless draw with Ghana.
James returns, Quansah suspended
Reece James took some part in England training on Thursday as he attempts to provide Tuchel with a much-needed boost. Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa have all had minutes at right-back since James picked up a hamstring injury earlier in the tournament and missed games against Panama, DR Congo and Mexico. However, Quansah is unavailable to face Norway after his red card against Mexico resulted in a two-match suspension from FIFA. Quansah will miss the Norway game and a semi-final tie against either Argentina or Switzerland, if England progress. The Bayer Leverkusen defender would not be eligible to play again until the final, if Tuchel's side make it that far.
Tuchel's decision on James
James returned to training before England flew out to Miami and is set to take part in Friday's session too. That will leave Tuchel with a big decision to make. While he will be desperate to have James available again, the full-back's injury history and limited training this week could lead him to be more cautious, with Spence the most likely candidate to step in without Quansah if James does not start. Moving Konsa to right-back from the start after he was deployed there following Quansah's dismissal against Mexico now carries additional risk if central defensive partner Guehi is sidelined, with the likes of John Stones, Dan Burn and Trevoh Chalobah alternative options in the middle but Tuchel unlikely to want to test out a whole new partnership.
