England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway on Saturday is under threat from a mounting injury and illness crisis, with Marc Guehi’s hamstring strain threatening to rule him out and Declan Rice sidelined by a sickness bug that has already kept him from training for two days.
Guehi will be assessed on Friday to see if he is fit to face Erling Haaland’s Norway, but the Manchester City defender is desperate to prove his fitness. If he cannot train with the squad on Friday, there will be major doubt over his inclusion. The issue is not viewed as serious, but with Haaland having scored seven goals in the tournament, head coach Thomas Tuchel can hardly afford to take fitness risks with defenders.
“England face injury and illness crises before Norway quarter-final as Guehi, Rice, and James are doubts.”
Meanwhile, Declan Rice missed a second successive day of training because of a sickness bug, adding to a neural issue that has already affected his hamstring and lower back. England have taken steps to ensure the bug does not spread.
In better news for Tuchel, Reece James returned to training on Thursday for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury during the goalless draw with Ghana. James did not complete the entire session but is expected to be available to face Norway, likely as a substitute, providing he feels no ill effects from his return.
The right-back position has been a problem area for England after Jarell Quansah was handed a two-match ban by Fifa on Thursday for serious foul play in his red card against Mexico. Quansah, who misses the quarter-final and potential semi-final, was devastated by the decision. Bukayo Saka said: “I just found out. Very frustrating for sure [but] it is what it is. We have to deal with it, adapt and get ready.” Nico O’Reilly added: “I’m gutted for him and he’s not happy about it.”
Tuchel now faces a dilemma at right-back. Djed Spence is the most natural choice, while Ezri Konsa filled in after Quansah’s red card, but Tuchel has said he would rather not disrupt Konsa’s partnership with Guehi at centre-back. With Guehi a doubt, John Stones, Dan Burn and Trevoh Chalobah are available at centre-back.
The Football Association is likely to have made representations to Fifa about the processes that led to Quansah’s dismissal, with no right of appeal against red cards at this tournament – though the possibility of an overturned ban was opened by Fifa’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s ban.
Saka, who has declared himself fully fit despite managing an ongoing Achilles issue, called for calm after the euphoria of beating Mexico. “My primary focus is helping the team win,” he said, as England look to cope with the absence of Quansah and the fitness concerns over Guehi and Rice.