Livramento Injury Scare Hits England Before World Cup Opener

England’s World Cup preparations have been jolted on the brink of their opening game, with Tino Livramento reportedly set to leave the camp and fly home after suffering a calf injury.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad were due to depart their Kansas City base for Texas after a final training session ahead of Wednesday’s Group L opener against Croatia. Until now, everything had looked smooth. Every session in Missouri had featured a full group, every player present and involved in front of the watching media.

That picture has changed abruptly.

Livramento, the Newcastle full-back who had been pushing hard for a role in Tuchel’s plans, is now expected to miss not only Tuesday’s session but the entire tournament. The first sign that something was wrong came on Sunday, when he withdrew from pre-arranged media duties. Reports since have indicated a calf problem serious enough to end his World Cup before it begins.

It leaves England facing an unwelcome decision at the worst possible time.

Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah is understood to be under consideration as a replacement option. His inclusion would alter the defensive profile of the squad, with a centre-back potentially coming in for a specialist full-back, and Tuchel will have to weigh that balance quickly.

The rules give England a narrow window. Injured players can be replaced up to 24 hours before a team’s first match, which means the Football Association must complete the necessary FIFA paperwork by 3pm local time in Texas (9pm Irish time) on Tuesday.

On the pitch, the focus remains Croatia and the World Cup curtain-raiser. Off it, England now have a race against the clock and a hole to plug in their defensive plans before the tournament has even begun.