Declan Rice was substituted in the 72nd minute of England's World Cup clash against Croatia and was spotted limping on the sidelines, sparking concern over his fitness ahead of the tournament
23:15, 17 Jun 2026Updated 23:15, 17 Jun 2026
Declan Rice was spotted limping
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Declan Rice was spotted limping(Image: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Declan Rice was seen limping after being withdrawn during England's clash with Croatia.
Rice managed 72 minutes before being taken off, along with Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke, as Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka came on. Jude Bellingham dropped back into central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson as Tuchel's side looked to close out the match against Croatia.
England surrendered leads on two occasions against the nation that eliminated them at the World Cup semi-final stage in 2018. Harry Kane converted from the penalty spot before Petar Sucic equalised, with England's skipper restoring their advantage on the stroke of half-time before they allowed Petar Musa through to level the scores at the interval.
Declan Rice was in Thomas Tuchel's starting side for the opening clash with Croatia
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Declan Rice was in Thomas Tuchel's starting side for the opening clash with Croatia(Image: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
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Bellingham wasted no time in firing his team back in front with a superb surge from the right flank, as England reclaimed their lead just 47 minutes in. And Rashford made his mark off the bench to hand England a two-goal buffer before the evening concluded.
While Tuchel will have been encouraged to witness England's display remain at a high standard without Rice, he will be praying the 27 year old is fit enough to play a pivotal part as England bid to claim the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
Rice is understood to have been battling a back problem since the closing stages of Arsenal's campaign, with injections needed to control the complaint, reports the Mirror.
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The Premier League champion appeared uncomfortable following the Gunners' vital victory over West Ham in May, though the concern did not affect the star's capacity to train and feature to any major extent.
Former England striker believes Tuchel can reflect on a positive evening for England, despite some shaky defending during the first half of proceedings. "I think there's so many positives to come out of that performance.
"The goals that they scored and how they stood strong when they did come under pressure. All in all a good night for England. Lots of positives."