Rico Lewis called up as England reverse stance on replacing injured O'Reilly

Thomas Tuchel has reversed the Football Association’s earlier decision not to replace injured left-back Nico O’Reilly, calling up Manchester City’s Rico Lewis for England’s final Nations League fixture against Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday.

O’Reilly, 21, started England’s opening Nations League defeat to Spain — where he made a costly error for the hosts’ second goal in a 3-2 loss — but suffered a training injury before the squad’s 2-0 win over Czech Republic in Prague. He was subsequently sent back to Manchester City for “further assessment” and missed Saturday’s 7-0 thrashing of Croatia in Rijeka.

At the time of O’Reilly’s departure, the FA issued a statement confirming no replacement would be sought, saying the squad would continue with existing personnel for both the Croatia and Czech Republic fixtures. That position has now changed.

Lewis, also 21, has been promoted from Lee Carsley’s under-21 setup, having helped England’s youth side secure qualification for the 2027 Under-21 European Championships during this same international window. He holds five senior caps, with his debut coming against North Macedonia in November 2023 and his most recent appearance against Greece a year later — meaning Tuesday’s potential outing would be his first senior cap in 23 months.

Lewis Hall remains the only other recognised left-back in the senior squad. The Newcastle defender played the full 90 minutes in the Prague win and started against Croatia, with Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly — primarily used in midfield — coming on late in the Croatia rout. Hall impressed across both matches, but Tuchel may be reluctant to ask the 22-year-old to complete a third game in a week, potentially opening the door for Lewis to feature at Wembley.