England manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is happy with his full-back options despite confirming Reece James will miss Saturday's World Cup match against Panama – a decision that leaves the Three Lions with just one fit specialist right-back for the final group game.
James was assessed by England medics after Tuesday's goalless draw with Ghana following complaints of a hamstring issue. Tuchel confirmed on Friday that the Chelsea defender had not travelled from the team's Kansas City base to New Jersey for the Group L fixture. "It's a minor hamstring issue, he's not been able to train the last two days," Tuchel said. "He's now on an accelerated rehabilitation program and we take it game by game, but we strongly believe that he will be available during the tournament."
“Reece James ruled out vs Panama; Tuchel defends taking only three full-backs to World Cup.”
However, BBC Sport understands James is a significant doubt for the start of the knockout stages, despite England having already secured their place in the next round even if they finish third in the group.
The injury – and the calf issue that forced Tino Livramento to return home from the United States – has thrown into question Tuchel's decision to bring only three recognised full-backs to the World Cup: James, Livramento and Djed Spence. Nico O'Reilly, who played left-back for Manchester City last season but is a midfielder by trade, and Dan Burn, primarily a centre-back, are alternative options. Spence, along with central defenders Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa, are the available right-backs.
Asked whether he was satisfied with his squad selections given the fitness record of James and Livramento, Tuchel said: "Yes, I am. I selected the team, so I'm very happy with everything with the characteristic of the players and strengths that they give us. We would love to have every single key player, we would love to have them available, it's not available – we find solutions, it's what we do. It's a tournament, we move on."
There was better news regarding Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, who both missed training on Thursday but returned on Friday. Rice had a calf issue while Anderson was dealing with glute trouble – described by Tuchel as muscle tightness. Both are available against Panama. Bukayo Saka is also ready to start after coming off the bench in the opening two matches because of a long-term Achilles tendinitis complaint.
England face Panama on Saturday at 22:00 BST, needing to top Group L to secure a favourable draw in the round of 32. The two sides met eight years ago in Russia, when Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win – a result Tuchel's side will hope to repeat as they look to build momentum after a lacklustre draw with Ghana.