Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice was taken off in the second half against Croatia after feeling ‘discomfort’
England are due to assess Declan Rice – but Thomas Tuchel thinks the midfielder’s injury scare is nothing to be overly concerned about.
The Arsenal powerhouse was forced off on 72 minutes in England’s 4-2 World Cup win over Croatia after feeling an issue and he was later spotted limping. However, Tuchel has since provided assurances Rice is expected to be fine.
The German said: “Declan had some unusual ball losses and I saw a bit of discomfort. Then I asked him and he pointed directly to his lower back and upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort.
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“I didn’t want to take any risks and if I take Declan off, which I never want to do, it was the moment to protect. I think Reece James did so well to replace him in midfield, he did a fantastic game.
“I hope it’s nothing more, Declan just reassured me at the end ‘it’s good, it’s good’ and I know the discomfort, we will take care of it. It’s nothing big to worry about.”
Rice is understood to have taken injections towards the back end of the season to aid Arsenal’s pursuit of the Premier League title and Champions League glory. After the triumph, a six-goal thriller in Arlington, Rice was deemed fit enough to conduct an interview with ITV and he also seemed to ease fears over his fitness.
He said: “All good, good as gold,” before adding: “Just what I’ve been nursing probably in the second half of the season, little pains here and there, but I’m all good. I’m all fine, just precaution and I’ll be back out there against Ghana.”
Rice added on England’s performance: “I think obviously the first half probably felt worse than what it was just because of the manner of the goals we conceded. We had a lot of the ball, but I think in the second half you see that punch, that desire from the first minute.
“There was that extra spring in our step, the press, our strength, the way we went forward, the way we created chances in the second half, and the keeper had a worldie. So, yeah, all round I think it was a great performance.”
