England have suffered an injury blow on the eve of their World Cup opener, with Tino Livramento ruled out of the tournament. The Newcastle full-back picked up a calf injury in training on Sunday. Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah has been called up to replace him.
A scan on Monday confirmed the worst. The 23-year-old is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks, ending his hopes of a first major tournament. England moved quickly, knowing the deadline to swap an outfield player falls 24 hours before their first game.
Livramento’s involvement had already looked uncertain. He missed the final five weeks of the season with a thigh problem, arriving in North America short of match sharpness. He played the second half of the 1-0 warm-up win over New Zealand but was an unused substitute against Costa Rica.
The choice of replacement has raised eyebrows. Tuchel turned to Chalobah, a centre-back with just one cap, rather than Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back has not featured in a Tuchel squad since last summer, and this latest snub will reignite the debate around him.
Chalobah was on England’s stand-by list and is well known to Tuchel from their time together at Chelsea. He will not link up before the Croatia game, instead travelling to the team’s base in Kansas City while the rest of the squad head to Dallas.
His last England appearance came in June 2025, a full 90 minutes in a friendly defeat to Senegal. He was an unused substitute in two World Cup qualifiers later that year.
The injury leaves Tuchel light at right-back. Reece James is his first choice but carries his own fitness doubts after a hamstring-hit season. Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa offer cover, though neither is a natural in the role.
England begin their Group L campaign against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday at 21:00 BST.
England’s Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the World Cup with a calf injury, with Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah called up as his replacement on the eve of the Croatia opener.
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