England's biggest strength has become a World Cup weakness

England RBs GFX

Just three games into the 2026 World Cup, England find themselves shorn of all three of their named options at right-back, making what was once an abundant area of the pitch for the Three Lions a real problem position at the worst possible time. Reece James, Tino Livramento and Jarell Quansah are all out injured, and Thomas Tuchel is now under significant scrutiny for some bizarre selection calls.

The German tactician will be seriously thankful, though, for his decision to include the versatile Djed Spence in his squad, with the Tottenham man - who was taken as back-up left-back - remarkably set to be drafted into the starting XI at right-back in the knockout stages.

But while England will be grateful for that cover, some serious questions must be asked of how the Three Lions are effectively down to their fourth-choice on the right side of defence, with injuries already taking their toll and Trent Alexander-Arnold among those left at home.

While they might survive the last-32 test against DR Congo, right-back is a problem position that their rivals will undoubtedly look to exploit in the latter stages of the World Cup.

Jarell Quansah England 2026

Injuries bite

After Arsenal's Ben White suffered a season-ending knee injury in May, Livramento of Newcastle - a player who struggled with fitness issues all season long - was ruled out before a ball was kicked due to a calf problem he suffered in training ahead of the Three Lions' opening game against Croatia.

Starting right-back James then pulled up during the bore draw with Ghana on matchday two but was kept on the pitch as Tuchel had used all his substitutes, and his hamstring strain has now been deemed worse than first feared, putting his participation in the remainder of the tournament in serious doubt.

To make matters worse, James' replacement, Quansah, was forced off with a twisted ankle in England's final group game against Panama - effectively stripping the squad of all the players who had actually been called up to play on the right side of defence.

England v Ghana: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

'Of course I am worried'

In the wake of that latest setback, Tuchel admitted his concern over England's injury problems at right-back.

"A classic ankle twist and he is in pain," he said of Quansah's injury. "He said he had it before and it is a matter of days. He has his leg up high and in ice.

"Naturally of course [I am worried about the right-back situation] - we have another injury in the position. It will be a tight race for Reece James and a tight race for Jarell Quansah [to be involved in the tournament again], but it is our job to find solutions and we will do."

England v Croatia: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

Questionable calls

Tuchel is right to be worried, in truth, because he will be in the firing line if England's dearth of options at right-back comes back to bit them. While the German tactician obviously couldn't have foreseen that all three of his options in the position would pick up injuries, he certainly could have mitigated the risk of this scenario arising.

Livramento's injury record in 2025-26 was dreadful, with four separate issues resulting in him making just 17 Premier League appearances all season, including a thigh problem that saw him miss the final five weeks of the season - something that should have been a rather large red flag.

Despite boldly claiming 'no-one could see James' injury coming', the former Chelsea boss should have been well aware of the Blues captain's fitness struggles, too. The 26-year-old was also sidelined during the run-in with yet another hamstring injury and, consequently, hadn't started consecutive matches since March. And yet he was still named in the line-up for the pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica and subsequent group games against Croatia and Ghana.

Once Livramento was ruled out, the decision to draft in centre-back Trevoh Chalobah from the standby list ahead of orthodox Real Madrid right-back Alexander-Arnold - and his insistence that Quansah (another central defender) could provide cover on that flank - has only increased the scrutiny around Tuchel's selection calls. The contentious squad the England manager named back in May was always likely to be used a stick to beat him with if anything went awry in North America, and now he is finding that out the hard way.

Kyle Walker Kieran Trippier

Promise to problem

It's strange to think now that England's right-back options were the envy of their international rivals just a few years ago; Kyle Walker was a serial winner at Manchester City and widely considered to be one of the best in his position on the planet, Kieran Trippier was a consistent performer for his country on either flank, Alexander-Arnold and James were viewed as potential superstars going forward and White became a viable option after impressing with Arsenal.

Meanwhile, the likes of Livramento, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kyle Walker-Peters, James Justin, Tyriq Lamptey, Max Aarons and Rico Lewis have all previously been viewed as promising talents for the future.

But things have not panned out in the way many people expected, and Walker and Trippier's respective international retirements since Euro 2024 have left England with a problem position. James and Livramento have struggled with injuries, White fell out with the previous coaching setup and Alexander-Arnold simply does not seem to be part of Tuchel's plans for one reason or another, having been called-up just once since the German took charge.

The rest have failed to live up to their early promise, with Wan-Bissaka ironically switching allegiance to Wednesday's last-32 opponents DR Congo having found himself too far down England's right-back pecking order, even when he was playing his best football for Manchester United.

England v Ghana: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

Unlikely option

The man who looks set to benefit most from England's untimely right-back predicament looks set to be a player who was called-up to play a completely different position.

Spence was actually included in the squad as the back-up left-back to Man City's Nico O'Reilly, although Tuchel had also cited his ability to "play both sides" as a reason for taking the Tottenham defender to North America.

"He was excellent in every match he played for us," the manager said last month. "He loves defending, he's the fastest player in our squad, and he loves defending one-on-ones. That's what makes him a special full-back for us. He can play both sides."

Now, in the unexpected-but-somewhat-predictable absence of James, Livramento and Quansah, the Spurs man is likely going to be England's starting right-back throughout the knockout stages of a major tournament.

Panama v England: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

Remarkable rise

Spence's inclusion was one of Tuchel's many World Cup squad selection decisions that drew plenty of scrutiny, but the England boss will now be thrilled that he did call upon the 25-year-old. It is an opportunity the versatile full-back will want to seize in his bid to prove his naysayers wrong once again.

Back in 2021 when he was a Middlesbrough player, he was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest by Neil Warnock and warned that he could be playing in non-league in five years' time if he didn't sort his attitude out. Fast-forward five years, and he is set to start for England in the World Cup knockouts.

His time at Tottenham hasn't been straightforward either, as the Fulham academy graduate headed on three consecutive loans to Rennes, Leeds and Genoa before finally establishing himself in 2024-25, having been infamously overlooked by Antonio Conte when he first moved to north London. That led to a first Three Lions call-up in September last year, as he made history as the first Muslim to represent the senior men's team.

Earlier in this very tournament, Tuchel was caught on camera berating the full-back in training, which he then repeated when he started at left-back against Ghana.

Spence is making a career of proving his doubters wrong, and it's easy to forget just how highly-rated he was just a few years ago as a rangy, attacking full-back. Reputations are made and broken at major tournaments, and the Tottenham man now has a genuine chance to make a problem position his own on the biggest stage, which would mark the completion of an already-incredible turnaround.