Manager Thomas Tuchel appears concerned about England star Declan Rice after the Arsenal midfielder was spotted limping after being substituted against Croatia.
Declan Rice was seen limping (Image: Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Declan Rice, who came on as a substitute in England’s match against Croatia, was spotted limping. Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel said after the game that he hoped he was OK and admitted he had only sent him off as a precaution.
Rice played 72 minutes alongside Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke, with Morgan Rodgers, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka also featured. Jude Bellingham was in central midfield alongside Elliott Anderson and managed to see Tuchel’s side through against Croatia.
England twice trailed in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals against teams who were eliminated from the World Cup. Harry Kane converted a penalty before Martin Baturina found the back of the net and the England captain restored the lead just before half-time before the Three Lions brought on Petar Moussa to equalize at half-time.
England regained the lead after just 47 minutes, with Bellingham taking the lead back with a great run down the right. And Rashford made an impact off the bench, giving England a two-goal cushion before the night was over.
Tuchel will be relieved to see England’s performances continue at a high level in Rice’s absence, but will be keen to ensure the 27-year-old is fit enough to play a central role as England aim to win their first World Cup in 60 years. ITV’s Sam Matterface said on commentary that there was a “suspicion he might be limping” after Rice’s substitution, while Tuchel said after the game: “I hope they’re OK because normally you never leave Declan out, but we didn’t want to take any risks.”
Tuchel later added: “Declan had an unusual ball loss and felt a little discomfort. So I asked him and he pointed directly to his lower back and upper hamstring and said he was feeling discomfort.”
“We didn’t want to take any risks and if we were going to take Declan out, we never wanted to do that, but it was the time to defend. I think Reece James did very well in midfield in his place. He had a great game. I hope it’s nothing more than that, but Declan just reassured me at the end, ‘Okay, okay,’ and I understand the discomfort. We’ll deal with it. It’s not a big thing to worry about.”
Rice himself said, “I’m fine. I’m just going to take precautions and get back to playing against Ghana.”
Rice has been suffering from a back injury since the end of Arsenal’s season and required injections to treat it. The Premier League champions had expressed discomfort following the Gunners’ decisive win over West Ham in May, but the issue did not have a major impact on the star player’s ability to train or play.
Former England striker Alan Shearer believes Tuchel can look back on a good night for England despite an unconvincing display in defense in the first half. “I think there are so many positives to take from that performance,” he said.
“The goals they scored and how strong they were under pressure. Overall it was a good night for England. There were a lot of positives.”
Declan Rice was substituted midway through the second half (Image: Getty Images)
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Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon thought it was a great second half from his side. “This is the first time we’ll see England play against a real opponent. Croatia are a really difficult team to play against,” he said.
“Aside from a moment in the first half where they conceded two goals, they pretty much controlled the game. With that front, that talent, that run from midfield to the game, they scored four goals.”
“It would have been a perfect performance if they had given up the two goals. We had a rough first half, but we shined in the second half.”
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