Declan Rice was playing through 'terrible pain' in England's World Cup win over DR Congo, but the Arsenal midfielder hopes to be fit for the last-16 showdown with Mexico on Sunday.
Rice's ongoing pain issue
The Gunners star has been dealing with neural pain in his hamstring and lower back since the turn of the year, affecting his game time at the tournament so far. Rice was replaced in the second half against Croatia and was left out of the starting XI in the final group game against Panama. He returned to the starting lineup for the last-32 match against DR Congo but came off in stoppage time, immediately spotted with an ice pack on his hamstring while sitting on the bench.
Tuchel's update on Rice
Speaking ahead of Sunday's game against Mexico, England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that Rice asked to come off due to the discomfort. 'I asked him very late and he said "I can do it for the team, but I am in terrible pain",' Tuchel said. 'When Declan tells you that he is in terrible pain, then you know he cannot take it anymore, so he was grateful that we took him off.'
Tuchel added: 'He just said after the game it's not an issue, he will recover, so there is no injury. He was just in pain so I hope he is right. It's more nerval pain.' When asked if Rice can go from game to game, Tuchel replied: 'He can, yeah.'
Rice's own assessment
Rice told reporters he was 'as good as gold' after the dramatic win over DR Congo, having also slotted into a right-back role in that game. The midfielder's resilience has been praised, but his fitness remains a concern ahead of the Mexico clash.
Other injury updates
England were without Reece James and Jarell Quansah in their last game. Tuchel provided an update on their progress: 'They are getting close. They are getting closer and closer. I saw them on the pitch. In the nature of their injury, Jarell is a little bit ahead of Reecey. But the race was close even to make it into the match squad this time, so we need to make sure that we have more matches. That is the main focus and then they will be available very soon.'
