Declan Rice Walks Off Limping After England's Scoreless Draw with Ghana

England's vice-captain Declan Rice sparked injury concerns after being seen limping and wearing a compression bandage on his left calf following the 0-0 draw with Ghana at the Gillette Stadium on Tuesday. Despite playing the full 90 minutes, Rice's visible discomfort added to worries about his fitness, as he has been managing a chronic neuropathic hamstring issue for six months Source: infobae.

Match Overview

Tuchel made two defensive changes from the Croatia win, bringing in Djed Spence and Marc Guehi for Nico O'Reilly and John Stones Source: cna. Ghana also made changes, with Benjamin Asare in goal for the injured Lawrence Ati-Zigi and Thomas Partey returning from a visa issue Source: cna. The match ended goalless, with England unable to break down Ghana's compact defence.

Injury Concerns and Player Management

Before the game, Tuchel had said England had no injury problems and that Bukayo Saka was pain-free Source: cna. However, Rice's post-match limp and The Telegraph's report that he has been playing through chronic hamstring pain for six months have raised alarms. Rice has played 63 matches this season for Arsenal and England Source: infobae. Tuchel previously substituted Rice early against Croatia to manage his workload, stating "the player, his needs and his health are always the priority" Source: infobae.

Performance and Team Spirit

Despite the physical concerns, Rice created six chances against Ghana—more than all England's starting forwards combined—and delivered 12 crosses . Jamie Carragher praised Rice's performance, saying "He has defied any doubts about his physical condition. He is performing at a high level" . Tuchel also highlighted the healthy competition among wingers and Jude Bellingham's commitment, with Bellingham becoming England's youngest player to reach 50 caps .