Reece James has been ruled out of England’s final group game against Panama on Saturday and there are fears he could also miss their round of 32 match due to a hamstring injury. The right-back is awaiting the results of a scan after the injury forced him to be assessed following England’s 0-0 draw with Ghana.
James misses training ahead of Panama clash
James missed training on Thursday and Friday as the Three Lions prepared for the Panama match. England will finish top of Group L if they beat Panama, so long as Ghana do not thrash Croatia. Without James, head coach Thomas Tuchel must look for solutions elsewhere at right-back.
Tino Livramento was initially James’s understudy in the squad but had to pull out of the World Cup on the eve of England’s tournament opener due to a calf injury. There are fears that James could miss further game time beyond the Panama match, including England’s last-32 game, the opponents of which are yet to be determined.
Injury history raises concerns
There was always a level of risk attached to James being England’s first-choice right-back, because the Chelsea captain has a history of injury. James injured his hamstring in the Blues’ home Premier League defeat to Newcastle on 14 March and was out for nearly two months.
Ezri Konsa, Djed Spence and the as yet unused Jarell Quansah are the likeliest candidates to stand in for James on Saturday. Tuchel addressed the situation on Friday evening in New York, stating: “We strongly believe he will be available for us in the tournament. We called Chalobah up to free up Jarell Quansah in the right full-back position. He played in a back three for [Bayer] Leverkusen, which is not so far away from the position.”
Tuchel confident in squad depth
“It is a bit unlucky. We would love to have Reece. He is a key player. He is not available. We will find solutions. It is a short period of time, it is a tournament. We will find a solution,” Tuchel added. When asked whether James could be back for England’s round of 32 game, Tuchel replied: “We have hopes for the next match. It could be a tight one.”
The England head coach was then asked whether he is happy with the number of full-backs, given there is no out-and-out right-back in his squad to deputise for James. “Yes I am [happy],” Tuchel said. “I selected the team. We are happy with the characteristics of the players.”
