Thomas Tuchel admits World Cup injury fears ahead of England squad selection
Tuchel had to cope without several key players during the March international break
England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted he will be watching the remainder of the domestic season through his fingers as he grapples with mounting injury concerns ahead of the World Cup. The German coach, who used the international break to gain more clarity over his squad, fears any further setbacks could jeopardise players' chances of making the plane to North America. The final camp before the World Cup saw Tuchel experiment with an expanded 35-man squad, but results were mixed.
England were held to a late 1-1 draw by a physical Uruguay side, followed by a 1-0 loss to Japan, marking the nation's first-ever defeat to Asian opposition. Boos greeted the final whistle at Wembley, though key players Harry Kane , Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson were rested for the Japan fixture. The injury list is already significant, with Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and John Stones having withdrawn from the squad in recent days.
Tuchel expressed his deep concern about the coming weeks. Harry Kane did not feature in either of England’s friendlies in March (PA Wire) "It will be scary to watch TV on the weekend and through (the rest of the season) because from now on every muscle injury can mean that a player misses out," the England boss stated. "It’s one thing if players go, if players get injured, which is anyway not nice but then Jordan Henderson, who is a key figure for us in camp, is out, Declan Rice is out, Bukayo is out.
“They are captains for their clubs and they drive the standards. And then Harry Kane drops out so it’s basically the leadership group who is not available. This affects, of course, a group.