England started their World Cup campaign in style with a 4-2 win over Croatia, but concerns about two of Thomas Tuchel’s most important players emerged after the match.
Harry Kane was seen with his calf wrapped after England’s win over Croatia (Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
Harry Kane has helped England double their fitness. The Three Lions captain was seen wearing a strap around his left calf after England’s win over Croatia in their opening group game.
However, Kane, who scored two goals equaling Gary Lineker’s World Cup goalscoring record in England, is said to be in good health and it is understood that this was a precautionary measure due to cramps. Declan Rice was also sent off, and England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed he had suffered a hip injury.
However, this was purely precautionary and a huge boost for England as Rice is also fit and the Arsenal midfielder is also an important player.
Tuchel’s next match is against Ghana in Boston next Tuesday, and he will be hoping to take another step forward on his way to finishing top of the group and becoming the top seed for a place in the knockout stages.
Coach Tuchel spoke about Rice’s absence in response to questions from reporters after the game. Normally he would not consider leaving Arsenal’s star player out, but he admitted he was not taking any risks.
“Declan had an unusual ball loss and felt a bit uncomfortable,” he said. “When I asked him, he pointed directly to his lower back, the top of his hamstring, and said he was feeling discomfort.
Declan Rice absent from match against Croatia due to injury concerns
“We decided to take Declan out because we didn’t want to take any risks – which we never wanted to do – but it was time to protect him and I think Reece James did a good job in his place in central midfield. He had a great game, so I hope it doesn’t get any worse. And he reassured me at the end, “I know it’s unpleasant.”
Please select England’s XI for Ghana
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup by reducing prices by 20% on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
