Every tournament has its injury blow in the build-up, and England’s arrived with unfortunate timing just before their World Cup 2026 campaign gets underway. Tino Livramento, the 23-year-old Newcastle United defender, sustained a calf injury during a training session on Sunday and a scan on Monday confirmed the worst. He won’t be able to feature at the tournament at all.
England have moved quickly to address the gap, confirming their intention to call up Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah as the replacement. The 26-year-old made 47 appearances for Chelsea in 2025/26, scoring three times, which made him one of the more reliable defensive performers in the Premier League this season. He has one senior England cap to his name, coming in a 3-1 friendly defeat to Senegal last year, so the World Cup stage would represent a significant step up in competitive experience if he gets on the pitch.
The logistics of the situation add an interesting wrinkle. The rest of England’s squad are travelling to Dallas ahead of the Croatia opener on Wednesday. Chalobah, meanwhile, will travel separately to the team’s World Cup base in Kansas City and is not expected to be available for that first match. It gives him a little time to integrate into the group and get up to speed with the training setup before being in a position to contribute from the bench or potentially start in one of the remaining group fixtures.
Losing Livramento is a genuine setback for England’s defensive options. He had been building momentum at Newcastle and was part of the plans for good reason. A calf injury at a tournament preparation stage, sustained in training rather than in a competitive match, is exactly the kind of bad luck that feels particularly frustrating for both the player and the squad.
The England group schedule beyond Croatia includes Ghana in Boston on 23 June and Panama in New York New Jersey four days after that. With Chalobah expected to be fully integrated into the setup before those fixtures, he could realistically push for involvement in both. Whether he makes an immediate impression or simply provides depth that gives the manager more options at the back, his arrival keeps England’s defensive resources at a reasonable level despite the Livramento setback.
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The Three Lions begin their campaign on Wednesday. Chalobah’s arrival gives England’s defensive unit a little more cover, and the squad will be hoping no further injury news emerges between now and kickoff.