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Alan Shearer has warned Thomas Tuchel he’ll have to manage his big players tonight against Costa Rica in the final hurdle before the World Cup begins.

Speaking to Betfair, the former England striker said: “I’ve been in this situation myself prior to Euros and World Cups. As much as you want to give everything, you’re also wary that you need to be fit to start the tournament. An injury is the last thing you need for any player, let alone your big players, so the manager has to be mindful of that.

“One thing we can guarantee is that the 11 starting on Saturday won’t be the eleven that starts against Croatia, and vice versa for the ones finishing. I think it will be a mix-and-match for both friendlies, and we have to understand and appreciate that it is the right thing to do. As I said, he won’t want to show too much of his hand in either friendly.

“I think you can say about a lot of players that they need to be managed because of the conditions, the number of games, and the physicality. That all comes into the mix in the manager’s thought process.

“Yes, you do have to manage it, but you also have to manage the specific situation on the pitch. You might not be able to take some of your big names off if the result is not going well for you, then you might have to go again. If the result is going well, then you can manage them.

“But that’s why teams have such big squads now. It’s not just the 11 playing; it’s the rest of the squad and all the staff that go with it. You have to understand that all these circumstances come into play, and you’ve got to manage them as you go along.”