Declan Rice hobbled away from England's goalless draw with Ghana on Tuesday, fuelling concern over the Arsenal midfielder's fitness ahead of the Three Lions' final FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L fixture.

Rice completed the full 90 minutes at Boston, but was visibly struggling in the closing stages after manager Thomas Tuchel had already used all five substitutes — leaving him unable to take any precautionary action.

A recurring concern

This is the second consecutive match in which Rice has walked away from the pitch with an apparent discomfort. Against Croatia last week, Tuchel withdrew him in the 72nd minute, explaining: "Normally I would never take Declan out but I didn't want to take any risk."

Rice himself addressed the issue, telling ITV: "It's just what I've been nursing probably in the second half of the season at Arsenal — little neural pains here and there. But yeah, I'm all good. All fine, just precaution."

After the Ghana match, Rice was spotted walking through the mixed zone with his left calf strapped and a noticeable limp, though the severity of the issue remains unclear.

Arsenal season context

Throughout Arsenal's title-winning Premier League campaign last season, Rice managed what appeared to be calf-related niggles in the second half of the season. Despite that, he started all but three of the club's Premier League matches — including the final-day fixture once the title had been secured and the UEFA Champions League final loomed ahead.

England's group stage picture

The injury scare arrives at a relatively comfortable moment for England in Group L. Tuchel's side are level on points with Ghana at the top of the group and lead on goal difference, meaning a route to the knockout stage remains firmly within their grasp.

For England to fail to advance as one of the top two, they would need to suffer a heavy defeat — conceding at least three goals to already-eliminated Panama — while Croatia simultaneously beat Ghana by a narrow margin. Croatia's 1-0 win over Panama on Tuesday has already guaranteed England at least a third-place finish, and four points should be sufficient to progress as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

That security could allow Tuchel to rest Rice against Panama this Saturday in New Jersey, managing his key midfielder's fitness ahead of the round of 32.