Reece James remains an injury doubt for England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway after he was again unable to train with the squad on Wednesday. The right-back has been unavailable since pulling a hamstring in the 0-0 draw against Ghana, England’s second group game, and has now missed the last two matches – including the epic victory over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday. In Kansas City, James followed an individual programme away from the main group, a worrying sign for Thomas Tuchel, who already has a major problem at the position. Jarell Quansah, who started at right-back against Mexico, was sent off in that game and is banned for the Norway clash. Tuchel now faces the prospect of fielding an untested deputy in Miami on Saturday.
Declan Rice and Marc Guéhi also trained individually on Wednesday but are expected to be fit. Rice has been managing nerve pain in a hamstring since Christmas and sat out the 2-0 win against Panama, though he maintains he can play through the discomfort. Guéhi’s absence was attributed to muscle fatigue. Their separate programmes appeared precautionary, with the pair likely to rejoin full training ahead of the quarter-final.
“Reece James missed training again, casting doubt on his availability for England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway.”
Jordan Henderson, meanwhile, has returned to the England camp in Kansas City after undergoing surgery for a fractured arm sustained in a freak fall following the Mexico game. It has been presumed his tournament is over, but teammate Morgan Rogers refused to rule him out. “Him coming back just shows exactly what he’s like as a person,” Rogers said. “Hopefully he can still be involved with us going through the rest of the tournament. He’s not going to rule himself out and neither are we. The belief he’s got in his own body… he’s the heartbeat of the group.”
Rogers also described the squad’s exhaustion after the Mexico win, saying everyone was “a bit tired and a bit dead afterwards”. A warm-down session on Monday and a full day off on Tuesday allowed some recovery. The FA have not yet decided whether to appeal Quansah’s red card, which would add to Tuchel’s defensive headache. With James struggling and Quansah out, England’s right-back options look perilously thin as they prepare to face Norway in the last eight.