England have been handed a fresh fitness concern ahead of their FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Norway, with defender Marc Guehi set to undergo a late assessment on Friday.
The centre-back picked up a slight hamstring injury during England's dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 victory over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. While initial hopes were that he was only dealing with muscular fatigue, it is now understood that the Manchester City defender has suffered a minor hamstring strain.
Guehi remains determined to feature against Norway and is optimistic about recovering in time. However, if he is unable to train with the squad on Friday, his chances of making the starting lineup will be in serious doubt.
Although the injury is not considered severe, England head coach Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to take any unnecessary risks, especially with Norway's prolific striker Erling Haaland, who also plays for Manchester City, posing a major threat.
In case, Guehi is not declared fit for the match then either of John Stones, Dan Burn or Trevoh Chalobah are all available at centre-back.
England are also monitoring the fitness of midfielder Declan Rice, who missed training for the second consecutive day after being struck by a sickness bug. Rice had already been managing a neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, with the illness further complicating his recovery. The England camp has implemented measures to prevent the bug from spreading through the squad.
There was, however, encouraging news on the injury front as first-choice right-back Reece James returned to full training on Thursday for the first time since injuring his hamstring during the goalless group-stage draw against Ghana.
James did not complete the entire training session but is expected to be available for Saturday's clash against Norway, provided he suffers no reaction after returning to action.
If James isn't fully fit for the game against Norway, then Djed Spence remains the only specialist possible right-back option for Tuchel. The head coach could also play Chalobah in the position.
Jarell Quansah, another possible right-back in the squad, who was shown a red card during England's Round of 16 tie against Mexico has been suspended for two games is also unavailable for this match on Saturday.
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