Thomas Tuchel provides injury update on Declan Rice as he limps off against Croatia

Thomas Tuchel guided England to a perfect start in the World Cup as they ran out 4-2 winners over Croatia; however, there was some concern regarding the fitness of Declan Rice in the victory.

The Arsenal star was withdrawn from the action in the 72nd minute, and as he made his way to the bench, he could be seen limping, which has led to concerns about Rice’s fitness.

It was a fine performance from the midfielder as he provided an assist and created four chances for his teammates, while he was key in holding possession for his side, as he had an 89% pass completion rate.

Tuchel will be aware of just how important it is to have your key players fit and available to lift the World Cup, with Rice being pivotal to the England game plan.

The German provided an update on the fitness of the Arsenal star to ITV, as he said: “Declan had some unusual ball losses, and I saw a bit of discomfort.

Declan Rice #4 of England celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the International Friendly match between England and Costa Rica (Getty Images)

“Then I asked him, and he pointed directly to his lower back, upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort.

“I didn’t want to take any risks. If I take Declan off, which I never want to do, but it was the moment to protect him, and I think Reece James did so well to replace in central midfield. He had a fantastic game. That’s that.

“I hope it is nothing more. Declan’s just reassured me at the end, 'It's good, it’s good,' and I know the discomfort. We will take care of it, and it is nothing big to worry about.”

Rice also confirmed to the broadcaster how he feels after he was seen limping off the pitch, as he claimed he was ‘good as gold.'

However, he did confirm that he had been nursing this injury for a sustained period, as he claimed that it had been bothering him throughout the second half of the season for Arsenal, so this may concern fans that it could worsen throughout the tournament, but Tuchel will ensure that his minutes are managed to be fit for their key games in this World Cup as England looks to win it 60 years on from their first success.