Thomas Tuchel admits he is worried about England’s right-back situation heading into the World Cup knockout phase after Reece James’ replacement Jarell Quansah limped off against Panama.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane struck in Saturday’s 2-0 victory against the already-eliminated central American side at MetLife Stadium, setting up a round of 32 tie against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday.
But England head to Georgia dealing with an injury headache, with first-choice right-back James facing a race against time to be fit as he deals with a hamstring issue picked up against Ghana.
The Chelsea captain did not travel with the squad to New Jersey, where replacement Quansah limped off in the second half and is also a major doubt for Wednesday.
“It was a classic ankle twist and he is in pain,” said Tuchel, who has already seen full-back Tino Livramento withdraw from the squad with a calf issue.
“He said he had it before and it was a matter of days. He hopes that it stays like this but at the moment it’s just too painful, so he has his leg up high, and compression and ice.”
Asked if he has worries about the right-back position moving forward, the England boss said with a laugh: “Naturally of course, we have another injury in the position.
“We will do everything. It will be a tight race for Reece James, it will now be a very tight race for Jarell Quansah, so I’m worried about these two.
“But in general then it is our job to find solutions, and we will find solutions in four days.”
England returned to their Kansas City base hoping for the best and aware of the need to kick on in the knockout rounds.
Tuchel’s team thrilled onlookers by beating Croatia 4-2 in their Dallas opener against Croatia, only to return to earth with a bump in Boston as Ghana held them to a frustrating 0-0 draw on Tuesday.
England struggled to break down another deep defence at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, but eventually their patience and quality paid off against Panama.
“We had a difficult game,” Tuchel said. “Everyone watched this close from the sidelines saw the physicality of the game.
“We saw a team that didn’t allow any chances in their first two matches. They conceded in the 95th minute from a counter-attack against Ghana. They conceded from a half chance against Croatia, from two shots on target.
“We managed to score two and create half chances and created in the match more chances.
“We knew that it’s physical, we that it’s difficult to control the counter attacks.
“We knew that they play from the role of an underdog. We knew all these things. I know as a coach what it takes to win these matches.
“There is no problem if these matches feel tight, if these matches feel tough. It will help us in the next match, and this is where I am at the moment.”
