Tuchel confident Rice's hamstring discomfort 'nothing big' after England beat Croatia 4-2

Declan Rice is a minor injury concern for England after being substituted during their 4-2 World Cup Group L victory over Croatia, though manager Thomas Tuchel moved quickly to play down fears over the Arsenal midfielder’s fitness.

Rice left the field in the second half after clutching the top of his right leg, with Tuchel replacing him with Morgan Rogers before later shifting Reece James into central midfield. Despite the disruption, England ran out comfortable winners thanks to two goals from Harry Kane and one each from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.

Tuchel revealed that Rice had pointed to his lower back and upper hamstring area when asked about the problem during the match. “I asked him, and he pointed directly to his lower back, upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort,” the England manager said. “I didn’t want to take any risk, so I decided to take Declan off — which I never wanted to do — but it was the moment to protect him.”

Tuchel was encouraged by Rice’s own assessment at the final whistle. “He just reassured me at the end: ‘It’s good, and I know the discomfort’. We will take care of it, and this is nothing big to worry about.”

Rice had been influential before his withdrawal, creating Kane’s opening goal with an outswinging corner. Tuchel also praised James’s response when asked to fill in at midfield, describing the performance as doing “so well”.

The result itself was a positive start for England under Tuchel, though Croatia twice levelled in the first half to expose some defensive vulnerabilities. Bellingham’s header in the 47th minute broke the deadlock for good, and Rashford’s 85th-minute strike sealed the win.

England face Ghana in Boston next Tuesday in their second Group L fixture, with Rice’s fitness set to be monitored closely in the days leading up to the game.