James quits England squad and returns to Chelsea

2023-03-26 12:50

James quits England squad and returns to Chelsea


Chelsea are assessing Reece James after his withdrawal from the England squad for Sunday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.


James ' season has been plagued by injuries which have limited him to just 18 appearances for the Blues in all competitions .

A knee problem saw the right-back miss the World Cup in Qatar along with Chelsea team-mate Ben Chilwell .

James returned to the England squad on Thursday, coming off the bench in the final five minutes of Italy's 2-1 qualifier win, but suffered another setback.

" Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad and will not feature for Sunday's game against Ukraine, " an England statement read.

" The full-back has returned to Chelsea for an assessment of an ongoing issue.

" With no replacements planned for Gareth Southgate's side, including the suspended Luke Shaw, they will continue to build up at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground . "

bigger blow

England have Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier in the squad, but James' recent injury problems could be a bigger blow for Chelsea.

Graham Potter's side resume their campaign against Aston Villa on April 1 , the first of three Premier League games ahead of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

European glory is Chelsea's only realistic target this season, finishing 10th in the league with 11 games to play.