Thomas Tuchel has provided the latest developments on the road to recovery from injury for Reece James and Jarell Quansah, as England face a right-back crisis ahead of Wednesday’s round of 32 match against DR Congo in Atlanta.
Right-Back Crisis Deepens
Both right-backs in the squad, James and Quansah, have suffered injuries that will force them to miss the match. This comes after Tino Livramento, originally named in the squad, had to drop out of the tournament a day before England’s opener against Croatia due to an injury of his own. The issues at right-back have left Tuchel scrambling for a solution. Centre-back Ezri Konsa or left-back Djed Spence are viewed as the likeliest candidates to deputise in the right full-back position against DR Congo.
Tuchel’s Update on Recoveries
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Tuchel was asked for the latest update on their recoveries, with England hopeful both can be available later in the World Cup if England progress. “They are getting closer and closer,” Tuchel revealed. “I saw both of them on the pitch. Jarell is a little bit ahead of Reece in the nature of the injury. But the race was close even to make it into the squad this time. So we need to make sure we have more matches [in the tournament], and then they will be available very soon.”
Team Sport Mentality
Tuchel added: “You find solutions. It is a team sport. We would love to have Reece and Jarell with us, but they are injured at the moment. Other players will step up and we will push this over the line.”
