Will Declan Rice play vs. Argentina? What to know about England midfielder's injury, illness concerns

Will Declan Rice play vs. Argentina? What to know about England midfielder's injury, illness concerns originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

England will need all hands on deck as they get set to face their toughest test yet at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a semifinal matchup against defending champions Argentina on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Unfortunately, key midfielder Declan Rice has been battling through a multitude of setbacks that have limited his availability at this competition and could linger beyond the World Cup into his upcoming season with Arsenal.

The 27-year-old played just 45 minutes in the win over Norway last round, forced off at halftime due to physical problems and a desire from Thomas Tuchel to make his team more attacking. His absence was felt, as Norway's best spell of the match came early in the second half after Rice had departed.

The Sporting News explains what Rice is dealing with and what England may do if the Arsenal star is unavailable for selection in this match.

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Will Declan Rice play vs. Argentina?

It's not yet known whether Declan will play against Argentina in the World Cup semifinal.

Tuchel is expected to make a late call ahead of the match, as Rice battles through both illness and injury ahead of the highly anticipated match. The England boss is expected to provide an update at his pre-game press conference on July 14.

What is Declan Rice's injury?

Rice has been dealing with extreme pain in his hamstring for the last six months, but it's not a muscular problem. According to Rice himself as well as Tuchel, the pain is due to a sciatica nerve issue, while his hamstring is structurally intact.

"I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time," Rice told reporters after the group-stage win over Croatia.

"Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff, but it was a smart decision."

Rice was not taken off against Norway because of pain management, but it remains a concern ahead of the semifinals. Neural pain is different from a traditional muscular injury that results from damage to the tissue and can stem from a variety of reasons.

"What it sounds like Rice may have is what we call neurogenic pain, where the nerve is getting snagged or irritated outside the spinal column," said James Vickers, a consultant physiotherapist at Marylebone Health Group, to The Athletic.

Usually, this kind of injury results from inactivity, but other things like tight muscles, scar tissue, or other abnormalities can result in this kind of pain. And that pain can be excruciating.

"I asked him very late and he said, 'I can do it for the team, but I am in terrible pain,'" Tuchel said after the DR Congo match in the Round of 32.

"When Declan tells you that he is in terrible pain, then you know he cannot take it anymore, so he was grateful that we took him off. He just said after the game it's not an issue, he will recover, so there is no injury. He was just in pain so I hope he is right. It's more nerve pain."

Why was Declan Rice substituted vs. Norway?

According to Tuchel, Rice was battling an illness last week, which in part led to his withdrawal at halftime of the quarterfinal against Norway.

The England boss claimed that Rice had been waylaid by a virus for a significant time before he started their last World Cup match.

"We had to take Elliot [Anderson] or Declan out, [and] knowing that Declan struggled after the last three days where he was most of the time in bed, I knew he cannot survive 90 minutes," Tuchel said after the 2-1 victory.

It's unclear if the illness has remained active into preparation for the Argentina game, but being so soon after the last match, it's possible that, at the very least, the effects of the infection could be still lingering.

Who could replace Declan Rice for England vs. France?

If the combination of illness and injury is too much for Rice to take the field against France in the semifinal, Tuchel will have to get creative.

Rice's replacement against Norway was Eberechi Eze, seeing the substitute move to the No. 10 position while Jude Bellingham dropped back in midfield next to Elliot Anderson.

It's also possible that Kobbie Mainoo slots into midfield, but Tuchel has shown a reluctance to use the Manchester United youngster and he could be a bit redundant next to Anderson. Reece James was used in midfield for some of the Norway game, and the Chelsea man is another alternative to start the semifinal.

Jordan Henderson is not an option after breaking his arm in a fall over the advertising boards after the Mexico Round of 16 win.