Chalobah called up as Livramento injury rocks England before Croatia opener

Trevoh Chalobah has been called up to England’s World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Tino Livramento, with the Chelsea defender travelling to the United States ahead of the group-stage opener against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday.

Livramento’s injury is a significant early blow for Thomas Tuchel, arriving just 24 hours before England’s first game of the tournament. FIFA regulations allow squads to replace injured players up to 24 hours before their opening fixture, provided the replacement is drawn from the 55-man provisional list submitted before the tournament — a condition Chalobah meets.

Chalobah is not expected to feature against Croatia but will be available for England’s subsequent Group matches against Ghana and Panama. The 23-year-old Livramento, who can operate at both right back and left back, had been viewed as a versatile back-up to Reece James and Nico O’Reilly, the pair set to start against Croatia.

The decision to call on Chalobah came ahead of Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has not featured in a Tuchel squad since last summer. England still retain cover at wing back through Jarrell Quansah, Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence, while centre back Dan Burn can also fill in at left back if required.

For Livramento personally, the timing is particularly cruel. This World Cup represented his first major international tournament, and the Newcastle full-back had only five senior caps to his name. He had also come off the bench in England’s warm-up victory over New Zealand ten days ago, seemingly cementing his place in Tuchel’s plans.