'I would always have tried' - Kyle Walker reveals England retirement U-turn stance after Wayne Rooney's World Cup backing

Walker has reiterated his commitment to his international retirement, despite England facing a massive selection headache in defence during the tournament. Speaking to The Sun, Walker addressed comments made by Rooney on BBC Sport on Wednesday.

Rooney insisted that manager Tuchel should have contacted Walker immediately after Tino Livramento withdrew from the squad due to injury. England have been forced to deploy five different players at right-back, including Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, after Reece James also suffered an injury.

While Rooney described the situation as worrying, Walker remains firm that his international career, which ended in March after earning 96 caps, is permanently over.

During his analysis of the round of 32 victory over DR Congo, Rooney expressed deep concern regarding the defensive options available to Tuchel.

Rooney said: "We've seen it before. It's happened before where players come out of retirement. I think the minute Livramento got injured, I think he [Tuchel] should have been right on the phone to Kyle Walker. Kyle is still more than good enough and more than capable of playing in this England team. I would have been on the phone to him saying, 'Listen we need you here. Can you come out and help us?' That could really cost us [the right-back area]. I'm worried on that."

Responding to his former team-mate, Walker clarified his stance without hesitation. He stated: "I would always have tried to be there for my country. But my time is up, I retired for a reason. I thought that it was time for the pathway for the next generation to come through and step aside for the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James. And it’s just sod’s law that a lot of right-backs have now been injured. I don’t regret anything in life. I made the decision and I stand by it. Could I foresee Reece James and Tino both getting injured? Maybe with their problems I could have given myself a little bit of a chance but I also think that you’ve got a very good right-back in Trent who’s also been overlooked."

England must now prepare for a daunting round of 16 clash against Mexico in Mexico City, amid a severe right-back crisis and the need to rely on makeshift options.

Tuchel has to quickly find a stable defensive formula to keep the team's tournament hopes alive. Meanwhile, Walker will continue to watch his nation from afar, putting all his focus on his club career with Championship side Burnley when the new domestic season begins.