Panama 0-2 England: Four right-back options Tuchel could consider amid James, Quansah injury concerns

England brag Thomas Tuchel faces a right-back enactment headache up of the 2026 World Cup knockout rounds.

The Three Lions secured apical spot successful Group L with a 2-0 triumph implicit Panama successful East Rutherford, finishing a constituent wide of Croatia and 2 points amended disconnected than Ghana.

Tuchel's broadside volition present crook their absorption to Wednesday's Round of 32 necktie against Senegal oregon DR Congo successful Atlanta.

The England brag could beryllium forced into a alteration astatine right-back aft Quansah was forced disconnected successful the triumph against Panama.

The Bayer Leverkusen defender started successful the lack of Reece James, who could miss astatine slightest 1 knockout crippled aft sustaining a hamstring wounded successful the goalless gully against Ghana.

Quansah was past forced off successful the 2nd fractional of England's last radical game with an evident injury, casting uncertainty implicit his availability for the knockout rounds.

The 2 wounded blows volition permission Tuchel unfastened to disapproval astir his determination to permission Trent Alexander-Arnold retired of his 26-man squad and his prime to regenerate injured full-back Tino Livramento with Chelsea cardinal defender Trevoh Chalobah. 

Focusing connected what Tuchel tin present control, Sports Mole assesses 4 right-back options Tuchel could see if James and Quansah are incapable to play successful the Round of 32 and beyond. 

Djed Spence

Spence dropped to the seat for Saturday's triumph aft starting connected the near broadside of the backmost 4 against Ghana.

The right-footed defender was the antheral introduced erstwhile Quansah was withdrawn successful the 63rd minute, signalling that helium is the evident campaigner to commencement astatine right-back if the erstwhile Liverpool antheral and James are incapable to beryllium their fittingness successful clip for Wednesday's fixture.

Spence is comfy playing connected either broadside of the backline, and his lightning velocity allows him to marque attacking runs from heavy and important antiaircraft recoveries. 

The 25-year-old tin deficiency the prime required erstwhile helium finds himself successful attacking positions, but successful truth, isolated from James, the aforesaid could beryllium said astir the different imaginable right-back options successful the squad.

Ezri Konsa

Konsa has started each 3 of England's radical matches, a sizeable alteration from Euro 2024 erstwhile helium started conscionable erstwhile successful his country's tally to the final.

The Aston Villa antheral has been astatine the bosom of the backline for each of those 3 games, starting the archetypal alongside John Stones earlier forming a cardinal antiaircraft concern with Marc Guehi successful the adjacent 2 outings.

Konsa has antecedently played arsenic a right-back for nine and country, truthful determination whitethorn beryllium a temptation to displacement him crossed and spot Stones adjacent to Guehi. 

While England's backline has looked acold from secure, Tuchel volition surely beryllium reluctant to instrumentality Konsa retired of his preferred centre-back presumption up of the concern extremity of the tournament.

John Stones

Stones has had to ticker the past 2 matches from the seat aft losing his spot to Guehi. 

The 32-year-old whitethorn find it pugnacious to reclaim his spot astatine centre-back, but the right-back presumption whitethorn connection a mode backmost into the team.

Stones has erstwhile acquisition of marshalling the close broadside of defence, and helium would not beryllium daunted by the imaginable of playing retired of presumption connected the biggest stage, fixed his wealthiness of cognition of the pressures and challenges that travel with large planetary tournaments.

His awesome speechmaking of the crippled and positional consciousness would besides enactment him successful bully stead if called upon.

Trevoh Chalobah

Many eyebrows were raised erstwhile Chalobah was called into the radical aft Livramento was forced to propulsion retired of the squad done injury.

The anticipation was for Tuchel to telephone up a earthy full-back, whether that would person been Alexander-Arnold connected the close broadside oregon idiosyncratic similar Lewis Hall astatine left-back. 

There is simply a anticipation that the antheral who replaced a full-back could screen successful that position, peculiarly arsenic an enactment disconnected the seat if the crippled concern calls for a defence-minded subordinate to assistance spot retired the game.

In truth, lone a full-scale wounded situation would spot Tuchel deploy a earthy centre-back with 1 planetary headdress to play successful an unfamiliar presumption successful the astir pressurised environments.