England face Japan at Wembley on Tuesday night, with manager Thomas Tuchel answering questions about England’s ‘camp split’ and the departures of Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka
Thomas Tuchel England national team head coach (Image: 2026 The FA)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that England’s World Cup hopes are in “danger” of burnout.
Tuchel has revealed that Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is only playing at “70% of his ability” due to injury and is in desperate need of rest. England manager Tuchel insists the Football Association is doing everything possible to help players recover, but admits plans could be undermined by the growing injury list.
Rice and Bukayo Saka returned to Arsenal after suffering injury problems, with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta seeing a staggering 11 of his players withdraw from international duty during March. Tuchel admitted he knew it was not in a good way but insisted he had “trust” in both players, saying Rice had struggled in recent weeks and would be a big worry for Arsenal as they chase trophies on three fronts.
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“It’s a threat. It’s not the biggest one, but it’s a threat. It’s just the fact that it’s fatigue. I understand what it looks like. I still have 100 per cent trust in Bukayo and Declan’s integrity. We did the medical tests, we saw them,” Tuchel said.
“There’s no reason to believe that Declan isn’t being honest with me. There’s no reason to believe that Bukayo isn’t being honest with him either. But given the number of players at Arsenal, I can understand that look.”
“But they both came. Declan was even on the pitch. He didn’t come and say, ‘Guys, I’m going home.'” I’ve heard that there were some camps where players didn’t show up, even wearing boots and stuff.
“Declan is a key player, Bukayo is also a key player. Why should I take this risk? Of course I want them in my team and of course I want them to play tomorrow too. But now is not the time to overdo it. Besides, I have 100 percent confidence in both of them.”
“Arsenal wouldn’t be happy if I told him what the injury was. But he’s been feeling discomfort for quite some time and he’s been playing through it, but he’s on the brink now. He’s thinking, ‘Is there any point in what I’m doing here, pushing myself and pushing myself to 70 per cent?'” Bukayo agrees. ”
England’s Declan Rice reacts during a training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Center (Image: 2026 The FA)
Tuchel confirmed that Jude Bellingham, who has just returned from a hamstring injury, will also not feature in the match against Japan, but said the decision to split camp between the two friendlies was fully justified.
Tuchel also believes England will be properly prepared for the summer with a pre-campaign in Florida ahead of the tournament, despite fears of burnout and a harsh end to the season.
He added, “We go to the US early to spend time on-site and have a pre-camp in a more relaxed way. Rather than being completely focused too early, it’s one training session a day, but we’re open to family and friends and have a pre-camp in a more relaxed atmosphere.”
“The players can go to the game and have fun, and when they get to Kansas they can be fully focused. That’s what we need. It seems like such a small thing, but it’s so important that they enjoy playing football and that they enjoy training and being together.”
“They’re doing a lot of things on planes and buses and hotels and conference rooms. They’re just spending a lot of time there. And the end of the season for most of them won’t come at the end of May — hopefully in mid-July — and it’s a long time.”
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