Neville and Wright raise Rice fitness alarm after sluggish England quarter-final display

Declan Rice was hauled off at half-time during England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway in Miami on Saturday, prompting Gary Neville, Ian Wright, and Lee Dixon to voice serious concern over the Arsenal midfielder’s physical condition.

Rice had been battling a persistent hamstring problem throughout the tournament and was forced to overcome a separate illness bug just to make the starting line-up against Stale Solbakken’s side. The 27-year-old had already been left out of England’s starting eleven entirely for their 2-0 group-stage win over Panama, a decision that underlined the caution surrounding his fitness.

Broadcaster and former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon was first to flag the warning signs during the match. “It’s not like Declan Rice, it took him an age to get out there to take that corner, he looks energy-depleted,” Dixon said. “His body language… he’s hit two corners, a free-kick, he never misses the spot, it’s just missing from his game. He wandered over, we’re 1-0 down, get yourself over, take it quickly. He just looks off colour, which we know he is.”

Neville echoed those concerns at half-time. “I think it could be Declan Rice because in the first-half, I don’t know what was up with him. He was struggling with corners, and I wondered whether he looked fit.” Wright agreed: “He has been struggling in the first-half, you could tell with his set-pieces, he didn’t look right.”

Rice was replaced by Eberechi Eze at the interval. The hamstring issue is one Rice had been managing since Arsenal’s Premier League title run — their first championship in 20 years — where he played through the problem to help the club over the line under Thomas Tuchel.

On the pitch, England fell behind when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross-cum-shot caught Jordan Pickford off guard after Norway had dominated the opening half-hour. Norway then wasted a golden opportunity to double their lead when Alexander Sorloth chose to go alone on the counter rather than square to Erling Haaland, who was in support and chasing the tournament’s golden boot.

England drew level when Jude Bellingham powered home an equaliser after combining with Anthony Gordon. Norway head coach Solbakken visibly lost his composure on the touchline, throwing a water bottle that clipped one of his own staff members — a reaction that mirrored his frustration at Sorloth’s earlier wastefulness.