Quansah, James ruled out of England's DR Congo knockout tie
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- Jarell Quansah twisted his ankle in England's 2-0 win over Panama and will miss Wednesday's knockout match against DR Congo in Atlanta, with Reece James also ruled out after a hamstring injury sustained in the 0-0 draw with Ghana
- Neither right-back took part in Tuesday's training; Tuchel confirmed James was 'a little bit behind' Quansah in recovery and said both would be available 'very soon' once they have 'more matches' under their belts
- Thomas Tuchel must choose between starting Djed Spence at right-back for a third straight game or shifting versatile Ezri Konsa from central defence — Konsa previously debuted at right-back in 2024 and handled Brazil's Vinicius Jr to Southgate's praise
- The crisis follows Tino Livramento's pre-tournament withdrawal with a calf problem, with Trevoh Chalobah called up as central defensive cover rather than another full-back
- Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold was overlooked entirely, having played for Tuchel only once due to injury and not featuring in squad selections during the build-up
- Tuchel brushed off scrutiny over his squad balance: 'I trust my players... other players will step up and we will push this over the line tomorrow as a team no matter what happens'
Why it matters: England head into a knockout match with only one natural right-back — Spence — available, and no specialist backup on the bench, forcing Tuchel into a positional reshuffle against a DR Congo side capable of exploiting the flank. The pre-tournament omission of Alexander-Arnold and Livramento's late withdrawal have compounded into a structural problem rather than a one-game absence, leaving squad composition itself under question on the eve of elimination football.
