Gary Neville has criticised Declan Rice's fitness during the World Cup, calling the Arsenal midfielder a 'massive problem' for England. The Three Lions reached the semi-finals in the United States but lost 2-1 to Argentina after taking the lead. England later secured third place by beating France.
Neville's assessment of Rice's condition
Speaking on The Peter Crouch Podcast, Neville said Rice was 'nowhere near it physically' throughout the tournament. 'Declan Rice fit and flying and running all over everybody… [Elliot] Anderson has been in there in that midfield pretty much on his own at times,' Neville said. 'I love Declan to bits and he's our best midfielder by a mile, but he's been nowhere near it physically in the tournament.'
Neville explained that Rice's fitness issues were a major blow. 'For me, not having Declan Rice in the tournament which has effectively been the case… not having him is a massive problem,' he added. The former Manchester United defender also noted that Rice was only half-fit and suffered a bout of sickness during the knockout stages.
England's tournament performance
Despite the semi-final defeat, Neville said reaching the last four was a positive outcome. 'The biggest positive from England's point of view was getting to a semi-final. The reason I don't think we should go overboard is if you told me before the tournament that England would get to the semi-final I would have snapped your hand off,' he said. He also praised Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Djed Spence for their performances.
Thomas Tuchel faced criticism for England's approach in the semi-final, but Neville was cautious not to be too harsh. He admitted he never expected England to reach the final, even before the tournament began.
Rice's reaction to the semi-final defeat
Rice expressed pride in the team despite the loss. 'This is the best England group for a very long time. That's a fact. No-one can take that away from us,' he said. 'I think we can be proud as a group – we are just gutted we lost in that semi-final.'
The midfielder acknowledged the team's frustration with near-misses. 'We're tired of saying we're proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals – we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement,' he said. 'We're so close, honestly. There's been so much talk about this group over the last few years going out of tournaments. I think we need to keep going. It's a game of small margins.'
World Cup final and England's future
Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final after the European champions defeated France. England's third-place finish was their best since winning the tournament in 1966. Neville's comments highlight the impact of Rice's fitness on England's chances, as the team fell just short of the final.
