Thomas Tuchel Calms England Nerves Over Declan Rice Injury

Thomas Tuchel moved quickly to calm England nerves over Declan Rice after the midfielder was withdrawn during the 4-2 win over Croatia, insisting he expects his captain to be ready for the next World Cup group game against Ghana.

Rice, who had driven England through an open, frantic contest in their 2026 World Cup opener, was taken off in the second half after Tuchel spotted something he did not like.

“Declan had some unusual ball losses and I saw a bit of discomfort,” Tuchel explained. On the touchline, he checked. Rice pointed straight to his lower back and upper hamstring. That was enough.

Tuchel did not hesitate. Protection over risk. Performance over sentiment.

“I didn’t want to take any risk, so I decided to take Declan off, which I never wanted to do, but it was the moment to protect him,” the England manager said. He praised Reece James for stepping into central midfield and “doing so well” in the role.

Until that point, Rice had been central to England’s control, knitting play together and setting the tempo in a game that threatened to swing wildly. Tuchel called it a “fantastic game” from his midfielder and stressed that the issue appeared minor.

At full-time, Rice echoed that message. No drama. No panic.

“All good, good as gold,” he said, describing the problem as the same “little neural pains here and there” he had been managing in the second half of the season at Arsenal. This, he stressed, was precaution rather than crisis.

“I’m all good, I’m all fine, just precaution and I’ll be back out there again against Ghana,” Rice added.

England have their statement start. Now they wait for medical confirmation that their midfield anchor will indeed be ready when the World Cup intensity tightens again against Ghana.