Carragher: Rice must start for England, Saka should not be risked

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher stated that England cannot afford to drop Declan Rice against Ghana despite fitness concerns, but believes Bukayo Saka should not be risked due to his Achilles injury. Rice was substituted in the 72nd minute of England’s opening World Cup win over Croatia after feeling discomfort in his lower back and upper hamstring, a move manager Thomas Tuchel described as precautionary. Rice told ITV Sport he has been playing through “neural pain” in his hamstring since Christmas and has played 63 matches in the 2025/26 season, the most of any England squad member. Carragher argued that resting Rice is not an option at the World Cup, though he suggested Rice could be rested against Panama if the Ghana game is won. Regarding Saka, who started on the bench against Croatia and played 20 minutes, Carragher said pushing him could risk losing him for the tournament, but noted that the longer he does not start, the harder it may be to unseat Noni Madueke. Carragher also said Marc Guehi should partner John Stones in central defence, criticizing Stones’ performance against Croatia but advocating giving him more game time to regain form.

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Sources: Sky Sports