​Declan Rice did not participate in England’s training session on Wednesday as he was put on a personalised programme designed to carefully manage his workload ahead of the World Cup quarter-final against Norway. Alongside Rice, Reece James and Marc Guehi were also absent from the full group session as England continued their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage. The coaching staff made the decision to tailor training to reduce the physical strain on selected players before the crucial match.
Rice, an Arsenal midfielder, has been dealing with an injury since the end of the previous season and has not had the chance to fully recover since joining England’s World Cup squad after the Champions League final. Once the World Cup concludes, Rice is expected to receive rest time before returning to club duties for the new season, but for now his priority remains contributing to England’s World Cup campaign.
England are facing Norway this weekend, though there has been no official confirmation about whether Rice returned to full training on Thursday. Mirror Football notes that it is difficult to determine Rice’s status because England conducted their latest session behind closed doors. While Wednesday’s session was open to the media, Thursday’s preparations were conducted privately with the quarter-final looming.
Training behind closed doors means there is no clear indication of Rice’s current condition or whether he is continuing with an individual programme ahead of the match. It would be reasonable to expect that Rice carried out some form of training before the quarter-final, but it remains uncertain whether he rejoined the main group or continued working separately from his teammates.
England will be hoping Rice is available for the Norway clash, as his experience and influence in midfield make him one of the squad’s most important players. His fitness will continue to be closely monitored as the Three Lions prepare for one of the tournament’s biggest matches.