Thomas Tuchel is facing a serious injury crisis ahead of England’s World Cup finals match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The England manager admitted that both Jarrell Quansah and Reece James are in a desperate “race” against time to be available for Wednesday’s game in Atlanta.
James is expected to miss that game, but there remains hope of a late return and England could face Mexico in the last 16 in Mexico City on July 5. Quansah is unlikely to feature against the Democratic Republic of the Congo as he hobbled off with an ankle injury against Panama, becoming the latest victim of the right-back curse.
Quansah’s failure is causing further headaches for Tuchel, as James was seen walking alone after the match, Tino Libramento was out with injury before the start of the tournament and his replacement, Trevo Chalobah, is not a natural full-back.
Chalova remains an option at right back, although he is not a specialist, but there is some encouragement that James, who traveled to New Jersey with the rest of the team due to a hamstring issue, is expected to recover by next weekend.
Tuchel will seek to bring back John Stones, who has been left out of the starting XI for the past two games, in central defence, and could use Ezri Konsa at right-back.
Asked about Quansah’s condition, Tuchel said: “It’s a typical ankle sprain, he’s feeling some pain. He said he’s had it before, but it’s just a matter of a few days. His leg is elevated and he’s in the ice.”
Tuchel, who has faced criticism for leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the squad, admitted the right-back position was a major concern, but remained confident a solution would be found.
Asked if he was concerned, Tuchel said: “Of course, we have another injury in our position. It’s going to be a tough race for Reece James, it’s going to be a tough race for Jarrell Quansah, but it’s our job to find a solution and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Meanwhile, Tuchel was keen to stress that Stones, who barely featured for Manchester City last season, is in good health and there is no need to worry about his recent lack of game time. The England manager revealed that Konsa and Mark Guehi form a strong partnership.
Tuchel added: “For sure. Why not? He was also considered as a candidate to start, but then he would be the third replacement in central defense for the third game, and I saw them perform well against Ghana and I saw them perform well against Panama, so I thought I would stick with the pair.”
