Declan Rice is set to be fit for England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina after a sickness scare. The Arsenal midfielder spent three days in bed last week with suspected food poisoning.
Rice's Recovery and Fitness
Rice only managed 45 minutes against Norway and was a major fitness worry for manager Thomas Tuchel. However, it is understood that Rice is on the mend, feels better, and hopes to train fully to prove his fitness ahead of the semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday.
England boss Tuchel will give Rice extra time and opportunity to get himself ready for the game. Rice is a crucial player for England and had to be substituted at half time against Norway because of the illness.
Team Impact and Tuchel's Comments
England medics were initially concerned that the illness might spread to the rest of the group, but it remained self-contained. Rice has been a key player under Tuchel, who has also made him his vice-captain and relies on him as an experienced and key player.
Rice has already overcome lower back problems that affected his hamstrings and caused issues in this tournament. But Rice has been a warrior for England and is clearly desperate to play in what would be one of the biggest games of his career.
Partnership with Elliot Anderson
Rice has formed a formidable partnership with Elliot Anderson, and the Arsenal player was clearly below full fitness against Norway, which massively impacted his performance. However, Rice expects to be back to his best for Wednesday, and it will be a huge boost for Tuchel, who said after the Norway game that he was below his best.
Tuchel said on Saturday: “Declan struggled after the last three days where he was most of the time in bed. I knew he could not survive 90 minutes and there was a possibility that it goes 120, so I didn't want to waste another change so the decision was to take Declan earlier out than he needed to go out, just to save us another change later down the match.”
