Livramento's World Cup in doubt as Chalobah poised to step in

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Livramento has won six England caps By Sami Mokbel Senior football correspondent Published 1 hour ago Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento is a major doubt for England's World Cup campaign, with Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah poised to replace the full-back. Livramento, 23, is understood to have sustained an injury during a training session on Sunday before England's World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday night (21:00 BST). While the Football Association is not commenting on the extent of Livramento's injury, it is understood there are fears he could be out of action for up to four weeks. Livramento's involvement in the tournament had already been in doubt after he missed the final five weeks of the season with a thigh injury. If, as is now expected, Livramento is ruled out of the tournament, Chelsea defender Chalobah is set to replace him - though he will not join up with the squad until after the Croatia match. Outfield players who sustain a serious injury or illness can be replaced in a World Cup squad up to 24 hours before the team's first match of the tournament gets under way. Livramento, who was handed his international debut under Gareth Southgate in November 2024, has featured five times during Tuchel's reign, starting twice. He came on at half-time during England's 1-0 warm-up win over New Zealand but was left on the bench against Costa Rica. Reece James is Tuchel's first choice at right-back but there are also question marks about his fitness, following another injury-plagued campaign. The 26-year-old missed nine games for Chelsea at the end of the season because of a hamstring injury. Other options who are already in the England squad include Djed Spence and Ezri Konsa. Spence, who can play on both flanks, has featured six times under Tuchel while Konsa, predominantly a centre-back, has played 11 times, including nine starts. Chalobah has not featured for England since June 2025 when he played the full 90 minutes in a friendly against Senegal, but was on the bench for multiple World Cup qualifiers under Tuchel. Like Konsa, the 26-year-old's preferred position is centre-back. What information do we collect from this quiz? Related topics Football England Men's Football Team FIFA World Cup 2026 More on this story World Cup fixtures and group standings How to watch the World Cup on the BBC Published 6 June Everything you need to know about the World Cup Published 1 April