Earlier this week we reported on England's fitness worries before Panama. The fresh issue is Reece James, who suffered a hamstring injury in Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Ghana and now looks set to miss more than just the next game.
Sky Sports News has been told James will be unavailable until well into the knockout stages as he recovers. He was seen beckoning to the bench late in the Ghana match, but England had already made all five substitutions, so there was no way to get him off.
He has not travelled with the rest of the squad to New Jersey for Saturday's final Group L game against Panama vs England. That leaves England in a thin spot on the right side, with Thomas Tuchel already without Tino Livramento after his pre-tournament withdrawal because of another hamstring problem.
Tuchel's right-back options
Sky Sports News described the situation as a real problem for Tuchel, and that sounds about right. The obvious cover has already gone, so the remaining solution looks more improvised than ideal.
Djed Spence has already logged 66 minutes in his latest World Cup appearance and earned a 6.84 rating, while Ezri Konsa completed 90 minutes and posted a 6.88. Those are the sort of figures that suggest dependable cover, but not a settled right-back plan.
England still sit first in Group L with four points from two matches, so the tournament picture is not in danger. The issue is narrower and more immediate, because the team are heading into Panama with a key defensive role patched together rather than nailed down.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →