Chelsea captain Reece James is desperate to feature for England in their World Cup quarter-final against Norway, however will surely know his body is not ready for the challenge that is coming.
Thomas Tuchel made it clear in the build-up to the tournament that James was his number one choice to start at right-back, although he hasn’t featured for his nation since the second group stage game.
The Englishman has been nursing a hamstring injury, which has been a familiar story for Chelsea fans who have followed his career for the past few seasons.
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Reece James risking his Chelsea career to play for England vs Norway
James is obviously extremely keen to return for his country in the wake of Jarrel Quansah’s red card against Mexico, with journalist Rob Dorsett sharing that the Chelsea man is desperate to feature on Saturday.
He said: “Marc Guehi rated as 50-50 for England’s World Cup quarter-final v Norway. Hamstring problem not serious, but time the issue, and Dan Burn pushing to come in if Guehi doesn’t make it. Rice sickness shouldn’t stop him starting, and England have isolated the bug.
“Reece James desperate to play, but would be a big risk of him breaking down after so little training and with his hamstring problem far from fixed.”
There is no doubt he is the Three Lions’ best option when fit, but the 26-year-old needs to be wary that his club will be relying on him when he returns from North America.
Enzo Maresca looked to ease James back into action gently whenever he was returning from injury, including playing him in the less-taxing role of central midfield.
Xabi Alonso to change Reece James’ position
It looks as if Xabi Alonso is looking to follow in the Italian’s footsteps when it comes to how to use James at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso wants to use James as a midfielder, with the workload placed on wing-backs in his three-at-the-back extremely heavy.
Chelsea have Malo Gusto in their squad, and have added attacking full-back Marco Palestra to their side already in this summer transfer window.
Regular appearances with limited breaks have proven to be too much for James, and pushing too hard to play in a game as intense as the World Cup quarter-final too soon could only leave him on the treatment table longer.
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