Earlier this week we reported on the fitness of Reece James before England's meeting with Panama. The update now is more specific: James will miss Saturday's World Cup group-stage match against Panama through injury, and he did not travel to New Jersey from England's Kansas City base for the final Group L game. Thomas Tuchel is still backing the plan.

Tuchel's defence of the squad balance

"Yes, I am happy with my options at right-back," Tuchel said. "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."

That is the clearest read on England's thinking. They took only three recognised full-backs, Djed Spence, James and Tino Livramento, and two of them are now unavailable. Livramento has already returned home from the United States because of a calf injury.

Spence is the one obvious senior full-back still standing. He has played 80 World Cup minutes across 2 appearances and carries a 6.52 season rating, which is enough to make him the most established active option left in the squad.

The emergency cover behind Spence

Tuchel has also pointed to other ways of patching the flank. He said the call-up of Trevoh Chalobah was designed to free Jarell Quansah for right-back cover, while Djed Spence and Dan Burn remain part of the wider solution set. Quansah has played 94 minutes in his latest league game and posted a 7.2 rating, so there is at least some recent evidence that he can shift roles without looking out of place.

There is still a live argument over how long James might be out. One outlet has said he is expected to miss England's next two matches, while BBC reporting says he could still have a chance of making a possible last-32 game and is a significant doubt for the knockout stages. Tuchel himself has not ruled that tournament return out, saying James is on an accelerated rehabilitation programme and that England strongly believe he can play again.

For now, though, the immediate picture is straightforward enough. England go into Panama with James absent, Livramento already gone, and Tuchel relying on a squad built to absorb the problem rather than ignore it. Panama vs England will show which of those cover options he trusts first.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →