Declan Rice came off earlier than planned in England’s win over Croatia on Wednesday, but Thomas Tuchel and the player himself have provided positive updates on his injury.
After a strong performance for England in which two of his corners led to goals, Declan Rice was forced off in the 72nd minute against Croatia with an apparent injury issue.
The midfielder could be seen limping from the pitch, and England boss Thomas Tuchel confirmed afterwards that he hadn’t planned to substitute the Arsenal man. But Tuchel added that he doesn’t believe the problem is anything serious.
“Declan has some unusual ball losses and I saw a bit of discomfort,” Tuchel said. “I asked him and he pointed directly to his lower back, upper hamstring, that he feels discomfort.”
“I didn’t want to take any risks,” Tuchel added. “If I take Declan off, which I never want to do, but it was the moment to protect him. I think Reece James did so well in central midfield. That’s that.
“I hope it is nothing more. He just reassured me at the end ‘it’s good, it’s good’ and we will take care of it. I hope it is nothing to worry about.”
Rice himself was positive about the injury, telling reporters after the game that it’s nothing to worry about, and that he’ll be fit to play the next match against Ghana.
“Yeah, all good, good as gold,” Rice said. “Just what I’ve been nursing probably in the second half of the season at Arsenal, little neural pains here and there. But yeah, I’m all good, all fine, just precaution. I’ll be back out there against Ghana.”
England face Ghana next Tuesday, June 23rd, at 21:00 BST, before playing Panama in the final game of the group stage on Saturday, June 27th at 22:00 BST.
It looks as though Rice will be fit for both games, though he may not need to play both if England can wrap up top spot in the group on Tuesday, which is possible if results go their way.
A win for England and either a draw or a win for Croatia against Panama would be enough, thanks to the use of the head-to-head tiebreaker in the World Cup. Both teams would then have the head-to-head disadvantage against England, even if England lost to Panama on the final day.
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