Wayne Rooney, a former England footballer, has voiced his disapproval of Thomas Tuchel’s selection of Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah for the England World Cup team, expressing his main worry over the team’s defensive alternatives.
James started every minute of England’s opening Group L game against Ghana and Croatia after being named to Tuchel’s 26-man roster last month.
Unfortunately, James missed England’s 2-0 victory over Panama owing to a hamstring injury—the latest in a spate of setbacks for the Chelsea captain in recent years.
There is reason to be concerned about the fitness of the 26-year-old right defender, who is scheduled to sit out the forthcoming round of 32 match against DR Congo. This raises questions about his ability to return later in the tournament, should Tuchel’s squad advance.
English manager Tuchel also suffered an injury to versatile Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento before the season began, prompting Chalobah to earn a call-up to the national team.
Tomorrow night, England’s starting lineup might feature Nico O’Reilly, Ezri Konsa, and Marc Guehi in the back four, with Tottenham’s Djed Spence likely to start on the right wing.
Is Reece James’s injury shocking to you? “That was an issue with the team he selected,” Rooney, a former captain of both Manchester United and England, said on the most recent episode of his podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show.
You have the untrustworthy Reece James, the equally untrustworthy John Stones, and the wounded Tino Livramento who was sidelined before the event.
After Livramento was eliminated, the surprising choice was Trevoh Chalobah. Maintaining a healthy equilibrium with Luke Shaw and Lewis Hall is crucial, in my opinion…
The problem with the last game is that Djed Spence has to start at right back if he is in the lineup tomorrow [against DR Congo]. Jarell Quansah didn’t do a good job, in my opinion.
To a greater extent than the absence of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, the defence was my main concern. Simply put, I had doubts about the defense’s dependability.
Rooney thought it was “impossible” that James could be dependable for the whole of England’s campaign.
Although Reece James is a talented player, his inreliability was known to us prior to the event. The past two years, he hasn’t been dependable, he said.
If Thomas Tuchel had been Chelsea’s coach during James’ injury history, it would be fascinating to see the numbers.
“It was common knowledge that that was the case, especially in relation to John Stones.”