Despite coming from behind to secure a narrow victory over DR Congo, England still faces the worry of losing Declan Rice as the midfielder suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury late in the match.
Declan Rice once again raised concerns over his fitness after having to leave the pitch early in England’s 2-1 comeback victory in the clash against DR Congo in the round of 32. The midfielder on the books of Arsenal was caught having an ice pack applied to his hamstring area on the substitute bench and clearly showed a look of pain while conversing with the medical staff.
Notably, in this match, he was trialed in the right-back role due to the absences of Reece James and Jarell Quansah before being forced to ask to be substituted in the final minutes. The recurrence of the injury is becoming a difficult problem for the “Three Lions” coaching staff, as this is already the third time the 27-year-old player has encountered a problem in the hamstring area since the start of the tournament, following similar incidents in the confrontations with Croatia and Ghana.
Currently, the England medical team has not yet given an official conclusion on the severity of the injury. However, the midfield pillar continuously encountering fitness problems right at the crucial stage of the tournament is placing a big question mark over his ability to feature in the next match. According to the schedule, Thomas Tuchel and his students will clash with Mexico in the round of 16 on July 5.
