England’s World Cup campaign faces an early setback after Newcastle defender Tino Livramento is ruled out of the tournament due to an injury sustained around the time of training. Multiple reports state that Livramento suffers a muscular problem and that the injury rules him out ahead of England’s first match. Sky Sports and other outlets report the issue as a hamstring injury and describe it as an early tournament setback. Yahoo Sports also reports Livramento is ruled out on the eve of England’s opening game and mentions a calf injury, while several sources describe the replacement as being confirmed close to the start of the competition.
England respond by adding Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah to the squad as Livramento’s replacement. Reports agree that Chalobah comes in as an 11th-hour or late call-up for England’s 26-player squad ahead of the tournament opener. England’s first match is against Croatia, which is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the reports. The change affects England’s defensive options for the start of the competition as the team prepares to begin their World Cup campaign without Livramento.
