Reece James looks likely to miss England’s next World Cup 2026 game as Thomas Tuchel must surely now face serious scrutiny for leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his squad.
It looks like England won’t risk James for the upcoming game against Panama, with the Chelsea right-back once again rocked by fitness issues that have plagued a large chunk of his Stamford Bridge career.
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According to the Telegraph, there’s mixed news for England as James probably won’t make it for their next game, but Declan Rice is waiting to be cleared to take part, so that sounds a little more positive.
Still, the issue at right-back means Tuchel is now likely to have to decide to play either Djed Spence, Jarrell Quansah, or Ezri Konsa in that position.
England will surely live to regret Thomas Tuchel’s Trent Alexander-Arnold snub
James is a fine player, but leaving Alexander-Arnold out of the World Cup squad looks like a huge mistake already.
Quite simply, if England end up having to take on any top teams in the knockout stages with any one of Spence, Quansah, or Konsa at right-back that’s a huge step down from what James offers.
Given that everyone knows the Chelsea defender’s poor injury record, it seems bizarre that Tuchel didn’t include Alexander-Arnold.
The former Liverpool man may not have quite had the best debut season for Real Madrid, but he remains someone with world class crossing delivery, and a superb range of passing.
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Even if the plan was to have James as first choice, there was surely still a role for Alexander-Arnold, who could have filled in in midfield if required.
England will probably be fine against a team like Panama, but it already looks like one of Tuchel’s biggest calls for this World Cup has majorly backfired.
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