'Nobody could see that coming' – Tuchel defends full-back selections after James injury

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Thomas Tuchel has defended his squad selection despite Reece James' injury depriving England of their first-choice right-back. James started England's opening two Group L games, but the Chelsea man has now sustained a minor hamstring issue. The injury is set to keep James out against Panama on Saturday, and with England already assured of their place in the knockouts, he will also miss their round of 32 match. James' setback comes on the back of Tino Livramento dropping out of the squad prior to England's opening game, with centre-back Trevoh Chalobah called up in the right-back's place, ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, while the versatile James Garner was also overlooked. Djed Spence is fit and available, though if he plays right-back, Tuchel only has Nico O'Reilly to play on the other side of defence. Ezri Konsa and John Stones also have experience playing at right-back. The German, however, defended his picks, suggesting James' injury was completely unexpected, despite the 26-year-old's poor fitness record. Indeed, he has played only 51% of the minutes he could have done since he made his debut for Chelsea. "Reece has a minor hamstring issue," Tuchel said. "He was not able to train the last two days. He is now in an accelerated rehabilitation programme. We take it game by game but we strongly believe he will be available for us in the tournament. We have hopes [James will be fit] for the next match. It might be a tight one but [the] hopes are still alive. "Nobody could see that coming. Reece was in good shape and felt very good. So it is a bit unlucky. Ezri Konsa played in the position for us on a high level. It is still no problem. We would love to have Reece, he is a key player. We would love to have him available but we will find solutions. That's what we do. It is a short period of time. It is a tournament. We will find solutions." Tuchel was at least able to share a positive update on Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, with the pair having been carrying knocks. "They both had minor issues after the match but had enough time to recover. So everyone but Reece James is available and ready to go," Tuchel said. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in England’s only previous encounter with Panama at the 2018 World Cup, including two goals from the penalty spot. Kane needs one more goal to become England's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, overtaking Gary Lineker, while victory for the Three Lions may be required if they are to top Group L, depending on the result between Ghana and Croatia. "It is a difficult match against a team that is so difficult to break down," said Tuchel, whose team were lacklustre against a well-drilled Ghana team on Tuesday. "They hardly allowed any chances. They conceded in the 95th minute against Ghana in a counter-attack when they tried to score the winner and they conceded two shots on target against Croatia. "That's what we expect. It is a complex game. We expect them from time to time to defend in a deep block and we have to try to break it down, accelerate the game in the right moments."

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