England star ruled out of World Cup with replacement 'lined up'
England and Thomas Tuchel have been handed a blow on the eve of their first World Cup fixture against Croatia after a player was ruled out of the tournament.
The Three Lions kick off their World Cup against Croatia tomorrow night (17 June) with the aim of getting their hands on the iconic trophy for the first time since 1966.
After coming close to glory under Gareth Southgate, this tournament marks Tuchel's first in charge and the German manager has already made some controversial calls before the football's even kicked off, with big names such as Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold all left out.
Training has already been disrupted by players having their boots stolen in a 'huge heist' operation but planning has taken another turn for the worse after Newcastle United star Valentino Livramento was ruled out.
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The full-back has just six caps for England but was expected to be valuable at the World Cup as a back-up on either side of the defence, especially with the injury-prone Reece James ahead of him in the pecking order at right-back.
The Telegraph write that Livramento, 23, has suffered a hamstring issue which is likely to see him sent home, with a replacement already in mind.
While you might expect that a certain Real Madrid right-back might get the nod to come back into the squad, with reports suggesting that it's likely to be Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah that replaces him.
England have until 9pm tonight to act, as teams get up to 24 hours before their first fixture to make any last-minute changes to the squad, and it's likely that we will see a replacement officially confirmed later this afternoon.
It will come as a devastating blow for Livramento who had been called up to play in his first tournament with England following an impressive few years in the Premier League with both Southampton and Newcastle United.
However, the full-back has struggled with injuries throughout his short career and after missing the final warm up game against Costa Rica, it seems as if Livramento will have to cheer on his teammates from home.
After the game against Croatia, England will face Ghana and Panama in Group L, hoping that they can top the group and earn their spot in the knockout stages.
We've already seen plenty of upsets at the World Cup, with Cape Verde snatching a draw against tournament favourites Spain yesterday, so even without Livramento, England fans will be hoping that this summer is finally the one they can celebrate some success from the men's team.
James Moorhouse