Declan Rice said he has been managing nerve pain in a hamstring since Christmas, then played through England's 4-2 World Cup win against Croatia before coming off in the 72nd minute. He said he is fit for Tuesday's game against Ghana in Boston, but the disclosure explains why England have had to keep a close eye on a midfielder who has still played 63 matches this season.
Declan Rice on the pain
Rice put the issue plainly: "I’m ready and fit, raring to go". He added, "I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time."
That pain was not limited to the hamstring itself. Rice said it was radiating into his lower back, and he described the decision to come off against The Croatia as "a smart decision."
England and Bukayo Saka
The wider England picture is already being shaped by fitness management. Rice said Thomas Tuchel had reassured the players that they have the conditioning to cope, while Bukayo Saka is also being managed after an achilles problem. Saka came on in the 72nd minute against Croatia, set up the fourth goal for Marcus Rashford, and followed an individual training programme on Saturday.
Rice also said, "Bukayo will impact this tournament," but he is not expected to start against Ghana. Noni Madueke is likely to continue on the right wing.
63 matches and a crowded schedule
The scale of Rice's workload is clear in the numbers. He has played 63 matches this season, with 55 for Arsenal and eight for England, after Arsenal reached the finals of the Champions League and Carabao Cup and lost to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City while winning the Premier League.
Rice called the calendar "an obscene amount of games" and said, "The schedule was crazy but what can we do about it?" England opened a hot-weather acclimatisation camp in Florida at the start of June, and the Croatia match was played in Dallas's domed, air-conditioned stadium, where the temperature was set at 22C.
That leaves Rice in the same place he wanted to be on Tuesday: available, but carrying a problem that has stretched from At Christmas into the tournament. His minutes against Ghana will show how much England want to lean on a midfielder they have already had to manage once this week. For readers tracking the team sheet, Jamie Vardy tells Abdul Fatawu to do his thing before England — Fatawu sits alongside the same England conversation, even if Rice is the central figure here.
