England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed he is weighing the possibility of deploying a man-marker on Lionel Messi when the two sides meet in Wednesday's FIFA World Cup semifinal against Argentina.

The tactical question of how to contain the Argentina captain has dominated pre-match preparations, and Tuchel acknowledged the idea of assigning a dedicated defender to shadow Messi throughout the game.

England face one of the most consequential matches in recent memory, with a place in the World Cup final on the line against the reigning champions and their iconic talisman.