Rooney urges Tuchel to recall Walker as Rice admits right-back role does not suit him

England scraped past DR Congo 2-1 on Wednesday, with Harry Kane’s late intervention rescuing the Three Lions, but the performance left enough defensive questions to prompt sharp criticism from pundit Wayne Rooney — and a telling admission from Declan Rice.

Rooney argued that the moment Tino Livramento was ruled out of England’s World Cup campaign through injury, Thomas Tuchel should have immediately contacted Kyle Walker about returning from international retirement. The suggestion came after Djed Spence endured a difficult evening at right-back, with Brian Cipenga exploiting the space behind him to give DR Congo a seventh-minute lead.

“I think the minute Livramento got injured, I think he should have been right on the phone to Kyle Walker,” Rooney said. “Kyle is still more than good enough and more than capable of playing in this England team. I would have been on the phone to him saying, ‘Listen we need you here. Can you come out and help us?’ That could really cost us. I’m worried on that.”

Rooney’s concerns extended well beyond the right-back position. He pointed to a systemic lack of cohesion between England’s defensive line and midfield, warning that a stronger opponent in the round of 16 could punish the same vulnerabilities far more severely.

“When England lose the ball they are so open,” he said. “Give DR Congo credit, they caused England some problems, but against a better team I think we’re in big trouble if we don’t sort that out. We’re so open in midfield. The connection isn’t great between the backline and the midfield. The full-backs are struggling. There’s no connection and there’s big gaps in the middle of the pitch — and that’s not just in this game, it’s in previous games.”

Rice, who has been deployed at right-back during the tournament, was candid about his limitations in the role. While he acknowledged he can perform the function, he stopped short of claiming it brings out the best in him — a concession that adds weight to Rooney’s call for a specialist solution.

Fellow pundit Micah Richards echoed the concern, noting the cumulative toll of England’s injury list at full-back. “Quansah’s out, it’s a problem. Reece James. Now you’re thinking, could Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quality have given us something different in this game?”

England face Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Monday, 6 July, in their round of 16 fixture — a significantly sterner test than the one that exposed their defensive shortcomings on Wednesday.