Former England footballer Wayne Rooney has expressed his concerns regarding Thomas Tuchel’s choice to include Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah in England’s World Cup squad, highlighting the defensive options as his primary concern for the tournament.
James was selected when Tuchel announced his 26-man squad last month and participated in every minute of England’s initial Group L matches against Croatia and Ghana.
However, James had to sit out the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Panama due to a hamstring injury, which adds to a series of injuries that the Chelsea captain has faced in recent years.
The 26-year-old right-back is also expected to miss the upcoming round of 32 match against DR Congo, raising concerns about his fitness for a potential return in the later stages of the tournament, should Tuchel’s team advance.
Before England’s campaign commenced, Tuchel also lost Tino Livramento to injury, leading to Chalobah’s call-up to replace the versatile Newcastle full-back.
Tottenham’s Djed Spence is anticipated to start on the right side of England’s defense tomorrow evening, in a back-four that may include Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, and Nico O’Reilly.
“Are you surprised that Reece James is injured? That was a concern with the squad he picked,” Rooney, the former England and Manchester United captain, remarked on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show.
“You have Reece James, who is unreliable, John Stones, who is also unreliable, and Tino Livramento was injured prior to the tournament.
“The unexpected choice was Trevoh Chalobah being brought in when Livramento was ruled out. I believe having a balance with Luke Shaw or Lewis Hall is essential…
“The issue with the last match, whether he will do it tomorrow [against DR Congo], is that if Djed Spence is there, he must be played at right-back. I don’t think Jarell Quansah performed well.
“So the defence was a big worry for me, more so than Phil Foden and Cole Palmer not going. I think the defence, just in terms of reliability, was a concern.”
For Rooney, it was “impossible’ that James was ever going to be reliable for the entirety of England’s campaign.
“Reece James is a good player but we knew before the tournament that you cannot rely on him. He hasn’t been reliable for the last two years,” he added.
“It would be interesting to look at [James’ injury record] when Thomas Tuchel was at Chelsea.
“I think everyone knew that was the situation and with the John Stones situation.”