According to The Athletic, England head coach Tuchel confirmed that both Quansah and Reece James will miss England's World Cup Round of 16 match against DR Congo due to injuries.

Leverkusen defender Quansah was forced off with an ankle injury after playing an hour in England's group-stage victory over Panama, while Reece James missed the match due to a hamstring issue. Neither player trained with the squad on Tuesday as they prepared for Wednesday's match in Atlanta.

Tuchel said at his Tuesday press conference: "They are getting closer to returning. I've seen both of them back on the field. Given the nature of their injuries, Quansah is slightly ahead of Reece, and competition for places in this squad is very close. We need to ensure they can play more games—that's the focus. They will be available soon."

"First, I trust my players. I have watched them for many weeks and selected them for the squad—that is football. They got injured, but there is no need to dwell on it for too long. We must focus on the problem and find solutions. This is a team Sport.

"Of course, we would love to have Reece and Quansah available, but they are injured at the moment, and other players will step up. Whatever happens, we will win this game tomorrow as a team."

Quansah made his first start against Panama, while Reece James was the preferred right-back in both matches against Croatia and Ghana. England had already lost backup right-back Livramento before the tournament after he withdrew due to a calf injury and was replaced by Chalobah.

Quansah was replaced by Spence in the final half-hour against Panama. The Tottenham full-back played at both left-back and right-back during the World Cup group stage. Quansah joined Leverkusen from Liverpool last summer and made his senior England debut in November, earning 4 caps for the national team.

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