Thomas Tuchel has clarified his decision to include Trevoh Chalobah in England's 2026 World Cup squad after Tino Livramento suffered a calf injury during training at England’s Kansas City base. Livramento's injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined for four to five weeks, forced him to withdraw from the squad.

Despite having multiple full-back options like Trent Alexander-Arnold from Real Madrid, Myles Lewis-Skelly from Arsenal, and Lewis Hall from Newcastle, Tuchel opted for Chalobah, a centre-back, to fill the gap. This decision raises concerns about England's defensive depth, as only Reece James, Nico O’Reilly, and Djed Spence are available as traditional full-backs.

Tuchel defended his choice, stating:

"Tino has an injury of four or five weeks which is unfortunately too long to reintegrate him into the squad. We called Trevoh Chalobah because it frees up Jarrell Quansah to play full-back on both sides, and Djed Spence can play full-back on both sides, so it gives us full coverage in defence."

England is set to face Croatia at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday, aiming to kick off their World Cup campaign in Group L on a high note.