{"id":202672,"date":"2026-06-26T21:32:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T21:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/james-injury-concerns-grow-but-rice-returns\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T21:32:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T21:32:51","slug":"james-injury-concerns-grow-but-rice-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/james-injury-concerns-grow-but-rice-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"James injury concerns grow but Rice returns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Concerns over Reece James’ availability are set to extend to England’s potential last-32 match as the Chelsea defender recovers from a hamstring injury.<\/b><\/p>\n

BBC Sport revealed this week that James would require assessment after complaining of a hamstring issue following the 0-0 draw with Ghana.<\/p>\n

James has missed both training sessions since the clash against the Black Stars and will miss Saturday’s final World Cup group game versus Panama.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old was following an individual programme inside the training base in Kansas City but was not on the pitch with the rest of his team-mates.<\/p>\n

And it is understood there are also fears the Chelsea defender will miss the start of England’s knockout fixtures, should they qualify for the next stage.<\/p>\n

The injury calls into question Thomas Tuchel’s decision to bring just three recognised full-backs to the World Cup.<\/p>\n

Tino Livramento – who has left the tournament due to injury – Djed Spence and James were the only genuine full-backs selected.<\/p>\n

Nico O’Reilly, who played at left-back for Manchester City last season, was also selected but he came through the ranks at the Etihad Stadium as a midfielder.<\/p>\n

Spence and central defenders Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa are the head coach’s alternative options at right-back.<\/p>\n

While James missed Friday’s group training before the squad’s departure to New York, midfielder Declan Rice made a return. <\/p>\n

Rice left the Boston Stadium after the Ghana draw with strapping on his left calf and missed training on Thursday – but it was felt the knock just needed rest.<\/p>\n

The Arsenal midfielder is expected to be available for the Panama game on Saturday (22:00 BST).<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen if Tuchel is willing to start Rice, though, as he is at risk of suspension for the round of 32 after he was booked against Ghana.<\/p>\n

Rice’s midfield partner Elliot Anderson – poised for a \u00a3116m move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City – was another who was absent from England’s session on Thursday, but he was present on Friday.<\/p>\n

England can secure top spot in Group L and then plot their route through the knockout stages with a win over Panama.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

At Panama’s training on Friday, two players had to be separated after a physical altercation where they were seen shoving each other.<\/p>\n

Cecilio Waterman and Jos\u00e9 Luis Rodr\u00edguez were forced apart by team-mates at the session at Montclair State University.<\/p>\n

But Panama coach Thomas Christiansen said he wished he had seen more of that kind of behaviour among his squad.<\/p>\n

“What happened today in training, this is a normal situation,” said Christiansen.<\/p>\n

“I would’ve liked to see these situations more often, that means the team is alive. They are willing to do a good effort, to be in the first XI for the game,” he explained.<\/p>\n

“If this happens another time, it’s a good sign that they are alive,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Concerns over Reece James’ availability are set to extend to England’s potential last-32 match as the Chelsea defender recovers from a hamstring injury. BBC Sport revealed this week that James would require assessment after complaining of a hamstring issue following the 0-0 draw with Ghana. James has missed both training sessions since the clash against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-202672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nJames injury concerns grow but Rice returns - Tahrir News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/james-injury-concerns-grow-but-rice-returns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James injury concerns grow but Rice returns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Concerns over Reece James’ availability are set to extend to England’s potential last-32 match as the Chelsea defender recovers from a hamstring injury. 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