Report: Chelsea player has now told his friends he's confident that he's about to go to the World Cup

By Nathaniel Kay

Reece James is reportedly pushing to be selected by Gareth Southgate for the World Cup despite currently being out injured for Chelsea.

According to the Evening Standard, James has already told friends ‘he is confident’ he will be flying out to Qatar in just a few weeks.

The 22-year-old is fighting to be fit for the international tournament, after sustaining a knee injury against AC Milan last month.

Many believed the defender’s dreams of competing at a World Cup were over as he hobbled off the San Siro surface.

Evidently, the player himself has other ideas.

Is the World Cup too close for James?

James continued his rehabilitation in Dubai last week, clearly eager to return just in time for the global footballing event.

Whilst it’s obviously encouraging to hear the full-back’s dedication to be available for Southgate, it does churn up some concerns.

Is it worth taking a player at 80/90% fitness, when the are others in better shape to take his place?

Could speeding up the healing process actually do more damage than good?

Even if he is back to full strength, there is a likelihood that James will miss England’s opener and therefore be behind in terms of training and tactics.

All of this said, the Chelsea community obviously hope to see James on the plane and return to Stamford Bridge with a winners’ medal.

Whilst the jury is still out on the Cobham academy graduate, the verdict on his teammate is pretty clear.

Ben Chilwell had to removed towards the end of Chelsea’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday with a suspected hamstring injury.

If the wounds are serious, Chilwell will miss a large chunk of the campaign, including the World Cup.

Nathaniel Kay

"Nathaniel is a football journalist who graduated from the University of Derby. He worked at Burton Albion as part of their media team for two years. Nathaniel produced regular articles for the club’s official website and match-day programme. He covered the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup in Brittany and has reported from grounds ranging from non-league up to the Premier League. Nathaniel is a full-time writer for the Chelsea Chronicle, and was formerly their social media man. His footballing career reached the sparkling heights of winning the Under-13s Bloxham Tournament in 2011."