Chelsea defenders Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva have sent messages of support to teammate Reece James after his injury has finally ruled him out of a chance to play at the World Cup.
The 22-year-old has endured a whirlwind few weeks as he has done everything to be fit for the tournament in Qatar.
An injury suffered at the San Siro didn’t seem to cause too much concern that he would be set for a spell on the sidelines.
However, a second consultation just confirmed any fears that might have been there.
He was set for a number of months out, all-but ending his hopes of representing his country.
James received a personal call from Gareth Southgate to tell him that he wasn’t prepared to risk his fitness over this winter.
Support for James
This of course has left him heartbroken, as seen in the statement released on his social medias.
The defender received plenty of support from people in the game, with Gary Neville leaning on his own past injury experiences for big tournaments to draft his own message.
Chelsea players were quick to jump to support the 22-year-old too, with Chilwell and Silva both encouraging him to stay strong during this difficult moment.
While Blues fans will be gutted for him on a personal level, there will no doubt be a small part of them that is thankful his fitness is not being put at risk for the national team.
With his absence, they have been struggling greatly to fill the void left in the right wing-back role. Graham Potter has so far utilised Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Raheem Sterling in the position to not much success.
The position has severely limited Sterling’s output, and fans will be hoping James’ return after the World Cup can also help open up the 27-year-old’s potential to star.
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