Jarell Quansah injury leaves England with a right-back problem

Thomas Tuchel did not sound like a manager facing a long wait. After England's 2-0 win over Panama in Panama vs England, he said Jarell Quansah had suffered a “classic ankle twist” and described the layoff as “a matter of days”. That is the encouraging part. The less comfortable detail is that Quansah was forced off shortly after the hour mark and Djed Spence had to finish the job at right-back.

Tuchel's update on Quansah

Quansah started at right-back because Reece James was ruled out of the final Group L match. He lasted 63 minutes before the injury ended his night, but there was enough in the performance to suggest he had not been struggling before the twist. He won 6 of 7 duels and still finished with a 7.2 rating before being replaced.

Tuchel’s wording leaves room for optimism, and that matters more than any attempt to dress this up as a major setback. “He said he had it before and it is a matter of days,” Tuchel said, adding that Quansah already had his leg up high and in ice. England will want that to prove accurate ahead of the round of 32 clash in Atlanta on July 1.

England's right-back shortage

The bigger issue is the depth chart. Tuchel said, “Naturally of course we have another injury in the position”, and the position is already thin. Reece James was unavailable against Panama, Quansah had to step in, and Spence became the emergency solution once he came off.

Spence played 30 minutes and posted a 6.9 rating, which at least suggests he was workable as a stopgap. It does not solve the wider problem. Tuchel also said it will be “a tight race for Reece James and a tight race for Jarell Quansah”, so England are still waiting on two names in the same spot while the tournament moves on.

England have two clean sheets in their last five World Cup matches, so there is a defensive base in place. Even so, the right-back situation is now the main selection headache before Atlanta on July 1.