Declan Rice isn’t in the England starting XI because Thomas Tuchel appears to be resting him, not because of a serious injury. Reports say Rice had a minor issue after the previous match, trained again, and was available, but England chose to leave him out for the Panama game as a precaution ahead of the knockout stage.

What the reports say

  • Tuchel said Rice was available if needed after training with the squad.
  • Match reports then said England decided to rest him against Panama.
  • The same coverage noted that England were making multiple changes, which supports the idea of squad rotation rather than a major setback.

In plain English

Rice is basically being kept fresh for the bigger games later in the tournament. That usually means the staff think he can do more harm by overplaying than by sitting one match out.

TL;DR

He’s out because England are resting him after a minor knock, and he was still considered available.