Declan Rice is one of England's most important players, but the Arsenal midfielder has left the Three Lions with a huge injury worry
22:53, 17 Jun 2026Updated 23:13, 17 Jun 2026
Declan Rice (4) of England reacts to goal scored by Petar Musa of Croatia during the 2026 FIFA World Cup First Stage Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States on June 17, 2026
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Declan Rice appears to have picked up an injury of some sort(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Declan Rice was seen "limping" off the pitch during England's World Cup clash with Croatia. Rice, 27, partnered Nottingham Forest ace Elliot Anderson in the middle of the Three Lions' midfield.
However, in the second half, he was substituted by Thomas Tuchel who took the Arsenal midfielder off for Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence, a move which saw Reece James be moved into central midfield.
After the substitution had been made, ITV commentator Sam Matterface said Rice was seen "limping" as he exited the pitch. England fans and Thomas Tuchel will be crossing their fingers hoping whatever happened to Rice is not serious.
At this point, it's unclear as to what exactly caused Rice to limp off the pitch as he did. In March, in England's final international break before the World Cup, Tuchel said the former West Ham United skipper had been playing through the pain barrier throughout the Premier League campaign.
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When both of the Gunners had left the international camp, Tuchel said: "He feels a discomfort since quite a while, and he’s playing through it.
"He is just now on the edge, where he thinks, ‘Does this make sense, what I’m doing here, to push through with 70 per cent [fitness] and push myself and push myself?’ And the same with Bukayo.”
Last season, Rice made 55 appearances in the Gunners' marathon campaign. He only missed two Premier League matches throughout the campaign and played in all but two matches in the north Londoners' run to the Champions League final.
Declan Rice of England reacts to goal scored by Petar Musa of Croatia during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
England v Croatia: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026, Arlington, United States - 17 Jun 2026
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(Image: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Rice, Saka and Noni Madueke joined the World Cup team a week later than the rest of the squad so they had time to recuperate after their Champions League final loss. Tuchel will be desperate not to be without Rice.
The midfielder has been named as the Three Lions' vice-captain for the World Cup campaign. Rice said: "Declan is our second captain. When Harry was not in camp and didn't play against Wales, we had the choice.
"It was a very quick one and a very obvious one to give it to Declan. He has the highest football IQ, he takes care about formation, he takes care about our structure, he takes care about the adaptation, he takes care about the rhythm in our game."
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