Gary Neville has hit out at England's long-standing failure to respect the full-back position, warning that the squad's lack of cover at right back could prove costly as they prepare to face DR Congo in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 in Atlanta on Wednesday.

First-choice right back Reece James is sidelined with a hamstring injury and will not be available until deep in the knockout rounds. His natural deputy, Tino Livramento, was already lost before the tournament kicked off — also to a hamstring problem — leaving head coach Thomas Tuchel with no specialist cover at right back.

A recurring England failure

Neville, who earned 85 caps as a right back for England, said the situation was entirely predictable. "It's not the first time I've seen England disrespect the full-back position in the last 15 to 20 years," he said. "They've thought they can take one full-back and then someone else can fill in. That just isn't going to work."

Tuchel must now choose between Djed Spence — who played left back for Tottenham and was selected in that role as cover for Nico O'Reilly — or one of the versatile centre-backs Jarrel Quansah and Ezri Konsa to fill the void on the right. Neville noted that Spence was rested recently and expressed hope that Tuchel is preparing him to play a major part from here on.

"If you're playing against Vinicius Jr in a quarter-final, or a France or Argentina winger, you're going to get turned over if you're not competent," Neville added. "Tuchel should have seen that. Everyone in the country could have seen that with James and Livramento."

DR Congo will test England on the counter

Neville also cautioned against underestimating DR Congo, who qualified for the knockout stage as one of the eight best third-placed teams after finishing behind Colombia and Portugal in a highly competitive Group K.

"Congo's going to be tough," he said. "You have to make sure you don't concede counter-attacks. We've conceded a few in the last few games and on another day, we would have conceded a penalty against Ghana. The one Ezri Konsa tackle — that's a penalty."

Be brave with Rice

Beyond the defensive concerns, Neville urged Tuchel to make a bold call regarding Declan Rice. The Arsenal midfielder has been carefully managed for minutes following what Neville believes is a calf problem, and was left out entirely for the group-stage finale against Panama.

"You do not take Rice off at 3-2 against Croatia in the opening game of the tournament unless there is a problem," Neville said. "So he has got a problem. The fact he was left out of the third game against Panama confirms that."

Neville's advice is clear: give Rice more rest time ahead of the deeper knockout rounds. "You can potentially get past DR Congo without Rice, so if he is not quite right, I would give him another few days off. Be brave — and I think Tuchel is just that."

Saka running on empty

Bukayo Saka is also a fitness concern. Neville praised the Arsenal winger in the highest terms but acknowledged that the demands of a gruelling club season — which included a Champions League final — have left him visibly short of sharpness.

"He looks like a player who has run himself into the ground," Neville said. "What I would do now is play players who are 100 percent fit. You might then be able to use Saka for 20 or 30 minutes at the end of games so he's not having to play 90."

Bellingham and Kane leading the way

Amid the concerns, Neville singled out Jude Bellingham as the one England player currently performing at a genuine elite level — fit, sharp, and willing to take responsibility when the game gets difficult. Harry Kane, meanwhile, earns Neville's unconditional trust as one of football's most reliable performers.

"Bellingham and Kane are the shining lights," Neville said. "Get them the ball as many times as possible in the last third and the box, and we've got a real chance of scoring goals in the tournament." The former England captain believes the eight outfield players around that pair must now raise their level — drawing a comparison with how Argentina's squad serves Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez — if England are to make a deep run at FIFA World Cup 2026.