Declan Rice is likely dealing with pain ‘two or three days’ after each England game at the World Cup but should be available to start when the Three Lions take on Mexico.
There has been concern for Rice since the competition began following a gruelling season with Arsenal where he racked up more minutes than any other outfield player.
The 27-year-old has been nursing a neural issue affecting his lower back and hamstring since the turn of the year, coming off in the group opener against Croatia. He kept his place in the side against Ghana before missing out against Panama.
Rice started again in the dramatic victory over DR Congo in the last 32 win midweek but there was concern again when he was spotted immediately applying an ice pack to his hamstring having asked to come off.
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Rice pushing the pain barrier. Thomas Tuchel said after the Congo game: ‘I asked him and he said: “I can do it for the team but I am in terrible pain.” When Declan tells you he is in terrible pain then you know he cannot take it anymore.’
Rice has been managing the issue for six months and he is likely to be available to start at the Azteca on Sunday – a game kicking off in the early hours of Monday morning once again after a night of logistical chaos.
His issue is very unlikely to be resolved during the World Cup with continued management the name of the game.
‘Him being substituted off at that point in the game against DR Congo where England felt like they were in control and using the ice packs was him doing the right things to ensure he gets to the next game,’ Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs which specialises in injury welfare, told Metro.
‘He’s looking after himself, his job at that point is to get to the next game and he will probably do that after every game.
‘Neural pain is felt differently than muscular pain and the sensation is generally much higher. With Reece James’ hamstring injury, that is muscular tear, it is the fibres that have been damaged.
‘With neural pain, it can come from two or three different sources. And after you irritate them, they sit there as a dull ache for hours and hours. Not only will it be uncomfortable during the game, but he may have two or three days’ worth of lingering pain to deal with afterwards.’
While the likes of Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres have already flown home, many of Arsenal’s stars are still competing in the knockout stages of the World Cup off the back of their draining domestic campaigns.
There is some obvious wear and tear. Bukayo Saka is still managing an Achilles injury that saw him miss five games for Arsenal in April with William Saliba also dealing with a back problem.
There are just 33 days between the World Cup final and Arsenal’s opening game of the new season against Coventry City on 21 August – but they will hope that gap will provide enough time for Rice’s issue to be resolved.
‘Both club and country will have been looking at just getting Rice through to the end of the season,’ Smith said. ‘He will need plenty of rest and they will then have to focus on building more strength around the area, his lower back, his glutes, his hamstrings, to take the pressure off that nerve.
‘Everyone will be hoping rest will allow it to resolve but we will have to see. Neural things like this can take quite a while to resolve especially when you have a very demanding and active season where you don’t get much rest. But they will be hoping it is something that can be solved with short-term rest.’