England's preparations for the FIFA World Cup have been dealt an early blow with the withdrawal of defender Tino Livramento due to injury. Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah has been named as his replacement in Gareth Southgate's 26-player squad, just hours before the Three Lions are set to kick off their campaign against Croatia.
Livramento, a 23-year-old Newcastle United full-back, suffered a calf injury during training on Sunday afternoon. Subsequent medical assessments confirmed the severity of the issue, ruling him out of the tournament. This marks a significant disappointment for Livramento, who was experiencing his first major tournament call-up for England and had featured in the recent warm-up victory against New Zealand.
The Football Association confirmed Chalobah's inclusion in a statement, noting that arrangements are being made for the Chelsea defender to join the team's basecamp in Kansas City. While Chalobah will not be available for Wednesday's opener against Croatia in Dallas, he is expected to be an option for England's subsequent group stage fixtures against Ghana and Panama.
Chalobah, 26, who previously played under Southgate at Chelsea, brings a different profile to the squad. He made his senior England debut in a defeat to Senegal last June, which is his only cap to date. His inclusion comes despite other potential options such as Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has not been part of Southgate's squads since last summer, being available from the provisional 55-man list.
FIFA regulations permit participating nations to replace an outfield player in their 26-man squad up to 24 hours before their opening match, provided the replacement is drawn from the original provisional list submitted before the tournament. This rule allowed Southgate to make the change ahead of the crucial first match.
England faces Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm BST. The fixture carries additional significance as it is a rematch of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which saw Croatia emerge victorious.