England suffer first major World Cup injury blow as Thomas Tuchel gamble backfires

Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento is reportedly expected to be ruled out for the entirety of England's World Cup 2026 campaign due to a recent training injury.

The former Chelsea starlet overcame a groin problem towards the end of the season to make himself available to Thomas Tuchel, who named him in his 26-man England World Cup squad.

The 23-year-old featured in both of March's friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, and was also on the pitch for 45 minutes against New Zealand earlier this month.

Livramento was then an unused substitute in England's final warm-up win over Costa Rica, and he was expected to play backup to Reece James in Wednesday's Group L fixture against Croatia.

However, according to The Telegraph, the right-back has sustained a suspected hamstring issue and is now at serious risk of missing the entirety of the World Cup.

England's Tino Livramento 'expected' to miss World Cup

The FA are yet to confirm Livramento's issue, but even a Grade 1 hamstring injury requires a two-week recovery period, while Grade 2 problems can take four to six weeks to heal.

A complete tear - or Grade 3 injury - can sideline players for around three months, and while it is still not clear how serious Livramento's problem is, it is likely he has sustained at least a Grade 2 concern.

As England can replace injured players up to 24 hours before kickoff of their first game, Tuchel is expected to bring in another player to fill the Livramento void if the Newcastle man is forced to withdraw.

The 23-year-old was called up despite missing 36 matches for club and country due to injury last season, being restricted to 14 Premier League starts for Eddie Howe's side.

How England can replace injured Tino Livramento at World Cup

If the rumours are true, Tuchel has already got one World Cup gamble wrong; picking an injury-prone player who did not even make a single Premier League appearance in May.

The German is at least well-covered at right-back already, as James is a nailed-on starter when fully fit, while Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa and Jarell Quansah can also deputise on that side.

However, Tuchel should not pass up the opportunity to call up a replacement, and the report claims that Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah is first in line to join the squad in the USA.

Tuchel will therefore be snubbing Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold once again, while also ignoring Rico Lewis, who only made 11 Premier League appearances for Manchester City last season.

While the news regarding Livramento is concerning, Bukayo Saka has issued a positive injury update before Wednesday's showdown with Croatia.