Wayne Rooney has expressed serious concern over England's right-back situation following a nervy 2-1 victory over DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32. The former England captain believes manager Thomas Tuchel should have immediately contacted retired defender Kyle Walker after Tino Livramento was ruled out with a calf injury before the tournament began.
Rooney calls for Walker recall
Speaking in the BBC Sport studio, Rooney said: 'We've seen it before where players have come out of retirement… I think the minute Tino Livramento got injured, I think they should have been straight on the phone to Kyle Walker. Kyle's still more than good enough and more than capable of playing in this England team. I would have been on the phone to him and saying, “Listen, we need you here so can you come out and help us”, because that could really cost us. I'm worried on that.'
England's right-back options have been severely depleted. Reece James entered the tournament as first-choice but suffered a hamstring injury. Jarell Quansah struggled in the 2-0 win over Panama, and Djed Spence endured a torrid time against DR Congo, prompting Rooney's concerns.
Richards questions squad selection
Micah Richards echoed Rooney's worries, questioning Tuchel's decision to omit Trent Alexander-Arnold from the squad. 'The right-back position is a conundrum. We've had Declan Rice having to fill in at right-back. Djed Spence has only played 290 minutes at right-back, he's used to playing on the left. To someone who has played full-back or who hasn't played full-back, you might think, “He's played on the left, he can play on the right… it should be the same”, but it's actually not because your body positions are completely different. I think he really struggled today, Spence, and I don't want to keep going back to who England haven't got but the injury to Tino Livramento was a problem, Jarell Quansah went out when you wanted to play him so that's a problem, Reece James, and you're thinking: could Trent's quality give us something different in this game. Those are the question marks that he'll probably be asking himself now.'
Richards also warned that using Declan Rice as a makeshift right-back would weaken midfield. 'If you want to go with Rice at right-back, you lose Rice's pace and power in that midfield area. So I think there are certainly things that England need to look at if they want to go further in the tournament.'
Kane rescues England
England fell behind early but Harry Kane scored twice to secure a 2-1 victory. Speaking after the match, the captain said: 'It feels amazing to be honest. What a crazy game. They are a tough team and then after that first break we were much better and their keeper made some unbelievable saves. We spoke about people having hero moments and it can be anyone. It was me today. We spoke all week about just being ourselves. There are still things to work on for sure and these rounds are just about getting through. We are in the part of the tournament when you have to grind wins out, and that's what we have done today. We are the same as every other nation. We are through, so enjoy it. I want them to enjoy it with the fans, and then we go again in four days. We spoke after the Croatian game about subs making an impact and you saw that again. Over 90 minutes, we are tough to handle. I am pleased for everyone involved and hopefully we'll keep it going.'
England's next match is against co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Monday night. Mexico advanced by defeating Ecuador.
