England 2026 World Cup watch: What are the right-back options if Reece James' body lets him down?

London — When Thomas Tuchel names his final pre-tournament squad on Friday, the German will do so knowing that the margin between England conquering the world and suffering an early exit may hinge on the resilience of a single hamstring. Reece James, Chelsea’s captain and Tuchel’s anointed first-choice right-back, limped out of Stamford Bridge last weekend with yet another setback to the same muscle group that has already cost him two major tournaments. The clock to June 17 and the opening group-stage meeting with Croatia in Arlington is ticking louder than ever.

James, 26, has enjoyed his most durable club campaign—only five matches missed through injury—yet the latest flare-up has reopened an old wound for both player and country. Since 2019-20 he has sustained 23 separate injuries and sat out 136 club and country fixtures. A knee complaint denied him Qatar 2022; a hamstring requiring surgery ruled him out of Euro 2024. Even when fit, his tournament experience amounts to a solitary 2020 European Championship appearance against Scotland. Tuchel, who trusts James implicitly from their Chelsea title-winning partnership, will give him every chance to prove fitness, but contingency plans are already being drawn.

The retirement of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier has stripped England of its safety net, forcing Tuchel to survey an unproited field of candidates.

Jarell Quansah, now a Bundesliga champion with Bayer Leverkusen, was handed his sole cap at right-back in November’s 2-0 win in Albania. Comfortable on the ball and schooled as a centre-half, the 21-year-old offers defensive security yet lacks minutes in the role at the highest level.

Djed Spence started in the 5-0 rout of Latvia in October but has since been deployed mainly on the left while Tottenham lurch toward a relegation scrap—hardly ideal preparation for a World Cup cauldron.

Ezri Konsa, Aston Villa’s Europa League-chasing defender, has also filled the slot, featuring in October’s 3-0 friendly victory over Wales. Villa’s recent slide—one win in seven league games, seven goals conceded in their last two—has coincided with Konsa looking leg-weary, yet his tactical intelligence keeps him in the frame.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creative passing remains elite, yet the 26-year-old has started only 13 games for new club Real Madrid this term and has not completed 90 minutes for England since October 2024. A lively 83-minute showing in Madrid’s 3-0 Champions League dismantling of Manchester City last week reminded scouts of his gifts, but defensive diligence remains the lingering doubt.

Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, 23, returned from a two-month hamstring lay-off to face Chelsea—ironically the match in which James hobbled off. Equally adept on either flank, Livramento’s pace and willingness to drive forward could tempt Tuchel to view him as an auxiliary winger in possession.

Others linger on the periphery. Joe Gomez, absent from England squads since Euro 2024, last played right-back for his country in a 20-minute cameo against Montenegro five years ago. Curtis Jones has been auditioned there by Liverpool boss Arne Slot to harness his ball progression, yet the 24-year-old remains fundamentally a central midfielder.

Should James fail to recover, Tuchel may opt for hybrid solutions: deploy an attack-minded left-back such as Lewis Hall or Nico O’Reilly to provide width, while converting the right-sided defender—be it Konsa or Quansah—into the third centre-back when England have the ball, mirroring the positional rotations that served Tuchel so well at club level.

With Wembley friendlies against Uruguay and Japan looming at the end of this month, the next fortnight represents the final dress rehearsal. For James, it is a race against his own biology; for Tuchel, it is a test of foresight. As Robert Burns cautioned, even the best-laid plans can unravel. If England’s premier right-back cannot answer the bell, someone else must heed the poet’s next line: “Now’s the day, and now’s the hour.”