England's captain Reece James will miss the World Cup match against Panama on Saturday due to a hamstring injury. This raises concerns for manager Thomas Tuchel, who must now choose a replacement from a limited pool of options.
The Three Lions are all but through to the knockout stages after a 4-2 win over Croatia and a 0-0 draw with Ghana, but the Group L encounter against Panama will determine where they finish in the table. England currently sit top of the group with four points, the same as Ghana, and must better the African nation's result in the Group L climax in order to clinch the top spot.
Tuchel has several options to choose from, including Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, and Trevoh Chalobah. Spence has already shown his versatility across the backline, coming on as a replacement for Jude Bellingham against Croatia and slotted in at right-back. Konsa is a centre-back who has filled in at right-back for England before and has the pace to cover against any potential counter-attacking threats.
Quansah played right-back sporadically at Liverpool, but his role with Leverkusen has afforded him more experience playing on that side of the defence. Chalobah is the 27th man in the squad and has mostly played at centre-back, but could slot in if problems emerge at centre-back.
Tuchel will have to weigh up the pros and cons of each option and make a decision quickly, with the match against Panama just around the corner.