England right-back crisis deepens as Quansah and James miss training

England's right-back issues have intensified ahead of their World Cup last-32 clash against DR Congo on Wednesday, with Jarell Quansah and Reece James both missing training. Quansah sustained a twisted ankle during England's 2-0 victory over Panama in their final group game on Saturday, forcing him off in the 63rd minute. Djed Spence replaced the Bayer Leverkusen defender, who had been making his World Cup debut.

Quansah had come into the starting lineup after Chelsea's Reece James was ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained in the 0-0 draw with Ghana in England's second group match. England manager Thomas Tuchel had previously indicated that James could be in contention for the DR Congo fixture, but the defender has yet to resume training since picking up the injury, making his involvement highly doubtful.

Injury crisis raises squad balance questions

The mounting injuries at right-back have placed scrutiny on Tuchel's squad selection for the tournament, with some questioning whether the squad composition is sufficiently balanced. The problems began before England's opening match, when Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento withdrew due to a calf issue. Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah was called up as a replacement, but Tuchel clarified that Chalobah was brought in as a central defensive option, with Quansah and Spence covering the full-back areas.

Spence and Konsa emerge as potential solutions

Djed Spence has shown versatility during the tournament. The 25-year-old Tottenham player featured for the final 10 minutes of England's opening group win over Croatia at left-back, the position he played for most of last season at club level. He then started the draw with Ghana at left-back before shifting to right-back when replacing Quansah against Panama. Tuchel could deploy Spence at right-back again or turn to Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa.

Konsa has become one of Tuchel's most trusted players and a regular starter since the German took charge in January 2025. The 28-year-old made his England debut at right-back against Brazil in 2024, when former manager Gareth Southgate praised his performance in dealing with Vinícius Júnior. Meanwhile, Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold has fallen down the England pecking order; he has played only once under Tuchel due to injury and was not selected for squads in the buildup to the tournament.