England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed Declan Rice spent much of the three days before the World Cup quarter-final win over Norway confined to bed with illness.
Although he started England’s 2-1 win against Norway, the midfielder appeared to struggle in the sweltering conditions at Miami Stadium and was replaced at half-time by his Arsenal team-mate Eberechi Eze.
Norway led through Andreas Schjelderup, but Jude Bellingham equalised just before the interval and then sealed the victory for the Three Lions in extra time.
The result set up a semi-final against Argentina, who beat Switzerland. The match kicks off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday, 15 July, and will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Tuchel said the heat affected several players, highlighting Ezri Konsa’s cramps and hamstring tightness.
He explained that at half-time they decided to adopt a more attacking approach, which influenced the call on Rice.
Tuchel added that he made the decision while England were 1-0 down and chose not to change course after the equaliser.
Rice had been a doubt for the game due to a neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, which illness made worse.
He trained on the eve of the quarter-final but was taken off at the break.
Tuchel said the staff were weighing up whether to withdraw Elliot Anderson or Rice, and given Rice had spent most of the previous three days in bed, they knew he would be unlikely to complete 90 minutes.
With the possibility of extra time, Tuchel wanted to preserve a substitution, so Rice was removed earlier than absolutely necessary to save a change later on.
Rice, a key figure in Arsenal’s Premier League title win last season, has started five of England’s six matches at the 2026 World Cup, missing only the group fixture against Panama.