Until now, England’s preparation for the World Cup looked to have gone well, without a blemish. But now, England have been dealt their first major injury – and a Chelsea defender is set to be called-up.
England picked up wins without conceding goals in their two warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica. The only injury concern has been Bukayo Saka, but Tuchel knew this when calling him up.
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Whether Saka can actually have an impact at the World Cup remains to be seen. Harry Maguire believes Tuchel should have picked Chelsea’s Cole Palmer over Saka, but the Arsenal star remains in the squad.
But now, on the eve of England’s first game against Croatia on Wednesday night, England have suffered their first major injury of the World Cup. Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento will be ruled out.
Chelsea star to be called-up by England at the very last minute
Livramento has picked up a hamstring injury within 48 hours of England’s first game, in which they take on Croatia. A re-run of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which saw England lose 2-1 in extra time.
Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea reacts
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
According to The Telegraph, Livramento will be replaced by Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah. A shock not only because of the late injury, but because Chalobah has hardly caught the eye for Chelsea this term.
But Tuchel knows Chalobah well and the German gaffer is said to be a keen admirer of the Blues star. Trent Alexander-Arnold and other potential full-back replacements have been overlooked for Chalobah.
Why England can still make a last-minute squad change
The other surprising element of the call-up for Chalobah, is that England have been allowed to bring in a new player at all. Nations were required to name their 26-man World Cup squads before June 1.
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However, rules dictate that if a change is required due to illness or injury, then nations can hand a last-minute call-up to players within 24 hours. Livramento’s hamstring injury fulfills this precise criteria.
It means England have been given the green light to replace Livramento before their opener tomorrow night, and Chalobah has been chosen. Confirmation will be required in the next few hours of the change.
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