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England are facing renewed concerns over Reece James’s fitness after the defender was forced off during their World Cup semi-final clash against Argentina.

James, who has already missed a significant portion of the tournament due to a hamstring issue, went down in the 80th minute and required immediate medical attention from the England team doctor.

It was unclear whether the Chelsea captain was suffering from cramp or had aggravated his earlier injury. As he moved towards the touchline for treatment, manager Thomas Tuchel swiftly intervened to ensure no unnecessary risks were taken.

Tuchel opted to substitute James with Dan Burn, making a series of defensive adjustments that also saw Nico O’Reilly and Ezri Konsa introduced.

The tactical switches were aimed at protecting England’s slender 1-0 lead, which had been secured through Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike.

However, the plan unraveled late in the game as Enzo Fernandez levelled the score with five minutes remaining, before Lautaro Martinez struck the decisive goal to send the 2022 champions into another World Cup final.

Attention now turns to whether James will recover in time for England’s third-place play-off against France on Saturday.

The Chelsea skipper had not started a game since England’s goalless draw with Ghana in the group stage, following the hamstring injury that sidelined him for three consecutive matches.

He made his return as a substitute in the quarter-final victory over Norway and was deemed fit enough to start in the semi-final by Tuchel, but was unable to complete the full 90 minutes.

Tuchel is expected to provide an update on James’s condition after the match.