England will be without Reece James for at least their next two World Cup matches after the Chelsea captain was ruled out with a hamstring injury. James, who has overcome a string of injury issues in recent years, started each of England’s opening games against Croatia and Ghana but complained of muscle tightness after the goalless draw against the latter in Boston on Tuesday. He did not train with the squad at their training base in Kansas City on Friday.
James to miss Panama match and likely last-32 tie
The Three Lions face Panama in their final group match on Saturday in New York. James will not be involved, and reports suggest he will also sit out England’s last-32 match next week. James is Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice right-back, and the German coach has already lost one backup option in Tino Livramento to injury just before the competition began.
Possible replacements identified
Tuchel has several options to fill the void. He called in Trevoh Chalobah as a replacement—not a regular right-back but capable of filling that role. Ezri Konsa, who has started both games at centre-half, can also be moved out to the right, as can Jarell Quansah. Additionally, Tuchel has Djed Spence, a natural right-back who started at left-back in the Ghana game. According to reports, Tuchel is weighing these options as England aims to progress deep into the tournament.
