Panama 0-2 England: Four right-back options Tuchel could consider amid James, Quansah injury concerns

England boss Thomas Tuchel faces a right-back selection headache ahead of the 2026 World Cup knockout rounds.

The Three Lions secured top spot in Group L with a 2-0 victory over Panama in East Rutherford, finishing a point clear of Croatia and two points better off than Ghana.

Tuchel's side will now turn their focus to Wednesday's Round of 32 tie against Senegal or DR Congo in Atlanta.

The England boss could be forced into a change at right-back after Quansah was forced off in the win against Panama.

The Bayer Leverkusen defender started in the absence of Reece James, who could miss at least one knockout game after sustaining a hamstring injury in the goalless draw against Ghana.

Quansah was then forced off in the second half of England's final group game with an apparent injury, casting doubt over his availability for the knockout rounds.

The two injury blows will leave Tuchel open to criticism about his decision to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his 26-man squad and his choice to replace injured full-back Tino Livramento with Chelsea central defender Trevoh Chalobah.

Focusing on what Tuchel can now control, Sports Mole assesses four right-back options Tuchel could consider if James and Quansah are unable to play in the Round of 32 and beyond.

Djed Spence

Spence dropped to the bench for Saturday's win after starting on the left side of the back four against Ghana.

The right-footed defender was the man introduced when Quansah was withdrawn in the 63rd minute, signalling that he is the obvious candidate to start at right-back if the former Liverpool man and James are unable to prove their fitness in time for Wednesday's fixture.

Spence is comfortable playing on either side of the backline, and his lightning speed allows him to make attacking runs from deep and crucial defensive recoveries.

The 25-year-old can lack the quality required when he finds himself in attacking positions, but in truth, apart from James, the same could be said about the other potential right-back options in the squad.

Ezri Konsa

Konsa has started all three of England's group matches, a considerable change from Euro 2024 when he started just once in his country's run to the final.

The Aston Villa man has been at the heart of the backline for each of those three games, starting the first alongside John Stones before forming a central defensive partnership with Marc Guehi in the next two outings.

Konsa has previously played as a right-back for club and country, so there may be a temptation to shift him across and place Stones next to Guehi.

While England's backline has looked far from secure, Tuchel will surely be reluctant to take Konsa out of his preferred centre-back position ahead of the business end of the tournament.

John Stones

Stones has had to watch the last two matches from the bench after losing his spot to Guehi.

The 32-year-old may find it tough to reclaim his place at centre-back, but the right-back position may offer a way back into the team.

Stones has previous experience of marshalling the right side of defence, and he would not be daunted by the prospect of playing out of position on the biggest stage, given his wealth of knowledge of the pressures and challenges that come with major international tournaments.

His impressive reading of the game and positional awareness would also put him in good stead if called upon.

Trevoh Chalobah

Many eyebrows were raised when Chalobah was called into the group after Livramento was forced to pull out of the squad through injury.

The expectation was for Tuchel to call up a natural full-back, whether that would have been Alexander-Arnold on the right side or someone like Lewis Hall at left-back.

There is a possibility that the man who replaced a full-back could cover in that position, particularly as an option off the bench if the game situation calls for a defence-minded player to help see out the game.

In truth, only a full-scale injury crisis would see Tuchel deploy a natural centre-back with one international cap to play in an unfamiliar position in the most pressurised environments.