Is Declan Rice injured? Thomas Tuchel and the player clarify the situation

The condition of England and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, who left the pitch limping during the World Cup opening match against Croatia, has become known. The player's substitution in the 72nd minute of the match, which ended in a 4-2 victory, caused serious concern among fans and London club head coach Mikel Arteta. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

England head coach Thomas Tuchel explained this decision at the post-match press conference. According to the German specialist, the goal of taking Rice off the pitch was to protect him from a more serious injury. According to Goal.com, Tuchel noticed discomfort in the player's movements and made the substitution after consulting with him.

Thomas Tuchel's comment

"Declan lost the ball unexpectedly several times and I saw that there was some discomfort. When I asked him, he said he had pain in his lower back and upper thigh. I didn't want to take a risk. I never want to take Declan off the pitch, but this time he had to be protected. I think Reece James replaced him worthily in midfield and put in a great performance," said Thomas Tuchel.

The coach also noted that he spoke with the player in the dressing room and Rice assured him that everything was fine. In the coach's opinion, this is not a major problem to worry about, and the medical staff will soon prepare the player for the next matches.

What does the player say?

The 27-year-old midfielder himself told journalists that there was no cause for concern. According to him, these pains have been haunting him since the end of the season. It turns out that while fighting for the Premier League and Champions League titles with Arsenal, Rice played for several weeks with the help of special injections.

"Everything is fine, everything is great. These are just small pains that have bothered me during the second half of the season. It was simply a precautionary measure. I will be ready to take the field again in the next match against Ghana," Declan Rice emphasized in an interview with ITV.

As a reminder, in the exciting match against Croatia, the England national team showed their will in the second half and achieved a convincing victory. Harry Kane noted that the team's game changed fundamentally after the halftime instructions and the players were able to show their true strength.