​Will Declan Rice play vs. Argentina? What to know about England midfielder’s injury, illness concerns originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.England will need all hands on deck as they get set to face their toughest test yet at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a semifinal matchup against defending champions Argentina on Wednesday in Atlanta.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUnfortunately, key midfielder Declan Rice has been battling through a multitude of setbacks that have limited his availability at this competition and could linger beyond the World Cup into his upcoming season with Arsenal.The 27-year-old played just 45 minutes in the win over Norway last round, forced off at halftime due to physical problems and a desire from Thomas Tuchel to make his team more attacking. His absence was felt, as Norway’s best spell of the match came early in the second half after Rice had departed.The Sporting News explains what Rice is dealing with and what England may do if the Arsenal star is unavailable for selection in this match.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s not yet known whether Declan will play against Argentina in the World Cup semifinal.Tuchel is expected to make a late call ahead of the match, as Rice battles through both illness and injury ahead of the highly anticipated match. The England boss is expected to provide an update at his pre-game press conference on July 14.Rice has been dealing with extreme pain in his hamstring for the last six months, but it’s not a muscular problem. According to Rice himself as well as Tuchel, the pain is due to a sciatica nerve issue, while his hamstring is structurally intact.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time,” Rice told reporters after the group-stage win over Croatia.”Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff, but it was a smart decision.”Rice was not taken off against Norway because of pain management, but it remains a concern ahead of the semifinals. Neural pain is different from a traditional muscular injury that results from damage to the tissue and can stem from a variety of reasons.”What it sounds like Rice may have is what we call neurogenic pain, where the nerve is getting snagged or irritated outside the spinal column,” said James Vickers, a consultant physiotherapist at Marylebone Health Group, to The Athletic.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementUsually, this kind of injury results from inactivity, but other things like tight muscles, scar tissue, or other abnormalities can result in this kind of pain. And that pain can be excruciating.”I asked him very late and he said, ‘I can do it for the team, but I am in terrible pain,'” Tuchel said after th