Will Declan Rice play for England vs France?
By Euan Burns
Declan Rice has been one of England's most important performers at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and that is why they will need him to be at his best for the quarter-final against France on Saturday evening.
In the run-up to the game, though, it has appeared that there are doubts about his health and ability to play against Les Bleus. Reports circulated that the West Ham United midfielder was feeling unwell and he sat out of England's training session on Wednesday.
It would require a rethink in the middle for Gareth Southgate if Rice was to be ruled out of the quarter-final, so the coach will be desperate for the 23-year-old defensive midfielder to make a full recovery.
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Will Declan Rice be fit to face France?
As things stand, the signs are looking promising for Rice to be at the base of England's midfield against France.
The illness he suffered does not seem to be long-lasting and it could be telling that Borna Sosa sat out Croatia's game against Japan with a similar-sounding illness but then started the quarter-final against Brazil.
There has been reassurance from various reports that Rice will be recovered in time to play against France, although it cannot be ruled out that Southgate decides to use him from the bench to sure things up if England manage to take a precious lead against France.
Confidence around his fitness has also grown thanks to the recent comments from fellow Englishman Kalvin Phillps in a press conference where he suggested that Rice will be fine to play.
"Yeah, but I believe Dec is fit anyway, he was back in training today. He felt fine. If all goes wrong and Dec wouldn’t be fit, then I’d do my best to try and complete the 90 minutes, yeah," Phillips said when asked if he could step up in Rice's absence.
Rice was pictured doing some work with the ball during the training session on Friday and he seemed to be in very good spirits while joking around with the likes of Conor Coady and Raheem Sterling, who has just returned to Qatar after heading back to England following a robbery at his family home.
How has Declan Rice performed in Qatar?
Rice has been one of the best performers for England at the World Cup so far. It is a competitive area of the squad but he has been handed starts in all four of England's games so far.
His energy in a tournament featuring a lot of tired players has been absolutely crucial to England's performances and the stability he brings has brought the best out of Jude Bellingham in an attacking sense. The Borussia Dortmund man has been receiving all the attention, but he will know that Rice has played a role in that.
If Rice does not start against France, it will almost certainly be down to fitness rather than tactics as his tackling and running will be needed in front of the defence.