Thomas Tuchel says England players won't use Viagra to combat altitude

England players will do everything they can to fight the altitude during Sunday’s World Cup round of 16 match against Mexico in Mexico City.

Well, almost everything.

During his pre-game press conference on Saturday, England coach Thomas Tuchel was asked about suggestions his players could utilize Viagra to deal with altitude at the Estadio Azteca.

“The information and the support didn’t reach me, so that’s not true,” Tuchel said with a laugh.

In the build-up to the game at the Azteca, which sits around 7,220 feet above sea level, several outlets suggested England could take advantage of the fact Viagra isn’t on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.

According to a 2006 study, Viagra “significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude” due to its ability to improve blood flow.

Yes, the drug apparently has more uses than the one it is primarily associated with.

Incredibly, this isn’t the first time that England has been forced to deny it would use Viagra to combat high altitude.

In response to a report in 2009, the English FA released a statement saying it hadn’t discussed using Viagra at the World Cup in South Africa the following year.

“The England medical staff are conducting detailed research with a variety of experts ahead of next year’s World Cup,” the statement read.

“However, there has been no discussion with regard to Viagra and certainly no plans for the players to take it in South Africa at the tournament.”

In non-Viagra news, Tuchel said that Jarell Quansah (ankle) was ready to go for the Mexico game, while Reece James (hamstring) would be a game-time call. Both players missed England’s last-32 win over DR Congo.

“You saw that Jarell trained, Jarell trained fully, is fully available,” Tuchel said. “Reece can maybe make it onto the bench, he needs a last assessment from the doctors and medical opinion if this makes sense.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thomas Tuchel says England players won’t use Viagra to combat altitude