Positive injury update on Arsenal player despite training absence

In partnership with

Daily Cannon

·26 June 2026

Positive injury update on Arsenal player despite training absence

Declan Rice could still play against Panama despite missing training with England in midweek, but Thomas Tuchel insists he isn’t afraid to rotate.

Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images

Sami Mokbel reports for the BBC that despite both Declan Rice and Reece James missing Thursday’s England training session, sources indicated that Rice’s fitness is less of a concern than James’.

OneFootball Videos

Rice had limped away from England’s last match against Ghana with heavy strapping on his left calf.

Mokbel adds that it still remains to be seen whether Thomas Tuchel is willing to start Rice, particularly as the midfielder is at risk of suspension for the last-32 – assuming England make it.

On that note, Tuchel has suggested he’s willing to rotate for the final group game, but not too much.

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

“I was not even sure if [we would] do the full rotation [if we had already won the group],” Tuchel began.

“Maybe we would have. But still, I am not shy to do some rotation now if we think that some players should be on the pitch but maybe more moderate than before.

“It’s also maybe not fair if you just throw 10 new players in and say ‘OK, let’s perform.’ Let’s see.”

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Mike Keegan and Craig Hope previously confirmed for the Daily Mail that Rice’s problem is not thought to be serious, but added that no chances will be taken in the Panama game. Kobbie Mainoo is on standby to start if Rice is unable to.

England are on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup knockouts, and they may well be mathematically guaranteed to progress before they even play their match against Panama on Saturday.

England’s current worst-case scenario is finishing third in the group and as one of the four worst third-place finishers across all the groups – meaning elimination.

But three groups already have third-place finishers who can’t possibly have a better record than England, so just one more is required.

Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images

Positive injury update on Arsenal player despite training absenceDeclan Rice could still play against Panama despite missing training with England in midweek, but Thomas Tuchel insists he isn’t afraid to rotate.
Arsenal announce their 2026 Emirates Cup opponentsArsenal have officially confirmed that they’ll face Borussia Dortmund in the 2026 edition of the Emirates Cup, with the game booked in for early August.
Spurs fail with same bid twice – player prefers ArsenalTottenham Hotspur submitted the same bid to sign Sandro Tonali twice, despite Newcastle United’s initial rejection, and the player still prefers to join Arsenal.
Newcastle reject Arsenal’s initial £55m transfer approachArsenal have made an initial approach to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, though their proposed £55m fee was quickly knocked back.
Arsenal have held internal talks over £60m player