England have been sent a World Cup warning ahead of their crucial clash with Panama, following injury concerns and complaints about the playing surface. Thomas Tuchel's side play their final group-stage game on a temporary grass pitch at the New York New Jersey Stadium, a venue that has drawn criticism from players.
Rabiot and Vinicius Jr criticise surface
Adrien Rabiot, who played a full match on the pitch for France against Senegal, described it as feeling like an artificial surface. "The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface - quite hard and quite rigid," he said. France coach Didier Deschamps called it a "special surface," adding: "It's different. You need to get used to it, I guess. I think there might be some cement below the grass. You have very short shards of grass."
Vinicius Junior also complained after Brazil played Morocco on the same pitch, noting that the heat dries it out quickly. "In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very sluggish, and we can't get into our rhythm," he said.
England's injury woes
England have already lost Tino Livramento to injury, with the Newcastle United full-back withdrawing from the squad after hurting his calf in training. However, they were able to call up Trevoh Chalobah as a replacement before their opening match against Croatia. That option will not be available once the tournament is underway.
Jude Bellingham and Reece James previously raised concerns about pitches used during last summer's Club World Cup. Bellingham said: "The pitches aren't great at all. It holds up the ball, the ball barely bounces. It's tough on the knees as well." James added: "It's difficult pitches, a difficult climate. The ball goes 100 feet in the air, and it bounces one metre up. It's not what we're used to."
Pitch concerns persist
The New Jersey venue usually has artificial turf for NFL games, but it is one of eight stadiums to lay grass this summer. The next matches there are Norway versus Senegal and Ecuador against Germany. England will hope to avoid any further issues as they aim to progress in the tournament.
