Thomas Tuchel has announced that Reece James will not participate in England’s crucial FIFA World Cup Group L match against Panama on Saturday due to an injury.
However, he confirmed that Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Elliot Anderson are fit and ready to play as England aims to secure their spot in the next round. Tuchel stated that James has not traveled with the team and will definitely miss this match, although there is hope for his return later in the tournament. Currently, England leads the group with four points, tied with Ghana, while Croatia is in third place with three points, and Panama sits at the bottom without any points.
Tuchel Discusses Player Fitness
“Reece has a minor hamstring injury and was unable to train for the last two days. He is on an accelerated rehabilitation program. We will assess his condition game by game, but we are optimistic that he will be back for us during the tournament. It was unexpected; Reece felt good and was in excellent shape. We would love to have him back, as he is a valuable player, and we will seek alternatives,” Tuchel explained.
“Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson trained with the team today. They had minor issues following the last game, but everyone is available except for Reece James. We will make our final decisions tomorrow,” he added.
England’s Strong Position Ahead of the Match
England enters the match as strong favorites against Panama, having previously defeated them 6-1 in the 2018 World Cup. In contrast, Panama has struggled in the tournament, failing to score in their matches against Ghana and Croatia, both of which ended in narrow 1-0 losses.