Tino Livramento's Injury Threatens World Cup Dream

Tino Livramento’s World Cup dream is hanging by a thread.

The Newcastle United full-back has suffered a muscular injury in training with England, leaving Gareth Southgate and his staff facing a late and unwanted dilemma just days before their opening game against Croatia on Wednesday night (21:00 BST).

Fresh setback for a fragile body

Livramento is being assessed by England’s medical team after picking up the problem on Sunday. No timescale has been given, but the concern is obvious. His place in the squad was already fragile.

The 23-year-old missed the final five weeks of the domestic season with a thigh injury, and his fitness has been carefully managed since. England took him to the tournament knowing he was short of recent minutes, gambling on his athleticism and attacking thrust at right-back.

Now that call may be about to backfire.

Under World Cup regulations, outfield players who suffer a serious injury or illness can be replaced up to 24 hours before a team’s first match. England are right up against that deadline.

Chalobah waits in the wings

If Livramento is ruled out, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah is in line to step in from the stand-by list.

Chalobah, 26, has not played for England since June 2025, when he completed the full 90 minutes in a friendly against Senegal. He has, however, been around the squad under Thomas Tuchel, making the bench for multiple World Cup qualifiers without getting on the pitch.

Like Ezri Konsa, another of England’s defensive options, Chalobah’s natural position is centre-back. Calling him in would nudge the balance of the squad away from specialist full-backs and towards versatile defenders who can shuffle across if required.

That calculation now sits at the heart of Southgate’s decision.

Right-back roulette

Tuchel’s first-choice right-back is clear: Reece James. When fit, he starts. The problem is the second half of that sentence.

James has endured another stop-start, injury-hit season at Chelsea, missing nine games at the end of the campaign with a hamstring issue. His quality is beyond doubt; his reliability is not. England arrived at the World Cup already managing his workload and minutes.

Livramento offered something different: a dynamic, high-energy option who has grown rapidly since his international debut under Southgate in November 2024. He has featured five times during Tuchel’s reign, starting twice, and looked sharp in recent weeks.

He came on at half-time in England’s 1-0 warm-up win over New Zealand, injecting pace and urgency down the flank. Tuchel then left him on the bench against Costa Rica, a decision that hinted at caution over his physical condition as much as tactical preference.

Now that caution looks prescient.

Depth tested before a ball is kicked

If James is not ready to churn through every minute and Livramento is sidelined, England will lean heavily on the rest of their defensive cast.

Djed Spence, who can operate on either flank, is already in the squad and has featured six times under Tuchel. His flexibility suddenly feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity.

Konsa, predominantly a centre-back, has played 11 times for England, including nine starts. He can shuffle across to right-back if required, but that move comes with trade-offs: less natural width, more conservative positioning, and a different look to England’s build-up play.

All of this is unfolding before England have even kicked a ball in the tournament.

The medical verdict on Livramento will dictate the next move. Keep faith in a talented but fragile defender and ride the risk, or turn to Chalobah and accept a reshaped defensive plan on the eve of a World Cup opener.

For a player who fought his way back from a long-term lay-off to reach this stage, the timing could hardly be crueller. For England, it poses a blunt question: how much risk can you carry at right-back in a tournament that punishes hesitation?