England Faces Injury Scare: Chelsea Captain's World Cup Participation in Next Match Seriously Doubted

James was the only player from England's 26-man squad absent from training at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City. “James is following an individual training program,” the English Football Association reported.

The Chelsea defender played the full 90 minutes in the first group stage match against Croatia (4:2) and in the second against Ghana (0:0). According to DPA, coach Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to risk aggravating the 26-year-old defender's condition and will likely keep him on the bench against Panama.

Just before the start of the tournament, defender Tino Livramento was ruled out of the "Three Lions" squad due to injury. Tuchel called up Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea FC as his replacement.