Tony Cascarino, a Times columnist and former Republic of Ireland international, believes that even if Reece James recovers in time, England should continue to deploy Declan Rice as right-back against Mexico in the World Cup Round of 16.

Cascarino noted that England's right-back position has been a major headache throughout this World Cup. With both Reece James and Jarrell Quansah suffering injuries, backup Jed Spence struggled in the Congo match, delivering inconsistent performances.

After Thomas Tuchel replaced Spence with Everaldo Eze and moved Rice from midfield to right-back, England's right flank improved dramatically. Cascarino had previously suggested on talkSPORT that Rice could play right-back as an emergency measure—a view that was controversial at the time but has now proven sound.

Cascarino notes that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has experimented with Rice in this position this season, and Tuchel has now adopted this solution. "When you think about it, Rice playing right-back makes complete sense."

He stated that Rice can play multiple positions—number 6, number 8, center-back, and full-back—and that truly elite players inherently possess versatility. He cited examples from European Cup finals: Matteus playing as a center-back for Bayern Munich in 1999 and Gerrard playing right-back in extra time for Liverpool in 2005, both delivering outstanding performances.

According to Cascarino, Rice possesses all the qualities needed for right-back: excellent defensive ability, composure in one-on-one situations, sufficient pace, the ability to prevent wingers from easily getting past him, and considerable cover range.

Furthermore, he particularly emphasizes the link-up between Rice and his Arsenal teammate Saka. Rice excels at providing support behind the winger, giving Saka passing options and overlapping to deliver crosses. He believes that having Rice, Saka, and Eze (also from Arsenal) on the right flank significantly smooths England's overall play, and the three-man combination directly contributed to the team's equalizing goal.

Therefore, Cascarino argues that even if Reece James returns for the knockout match against Mexico, Rice should start at right-back. He notes that James has missed two consecutive matches, making his match fitness uncertain, and the risk of re-injury remains.

Regarding midfield deployment, Cascarino defers to Thomas Tuchel's tactical approach. If England wants to play more aggressively, as they did against Panama, Bellingham could partner with Elliott-Anderson in midfield, with Morgan Rogers operating as an attacking midfielder.

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