Gareth Southgate is hopeful that Chelsea right-back Reece James will have a chance to prove his fitness ahead of Euro 2024.
The England boss has refused to rule out James, who has remained out of action since sustaining a hamstring injury against Everton back in December.
After undergoing surgery, James is now in recovery but is yet to return to training with the Blues.
The race against time is now on for the 24-year-old, who hopes to earn his spot in the England squad and travel to Germany in June.
Despite his lack of game time, Southgate is eager to remain hopeful around James. When asked if he was out of contention for the tournament, Southgate said:
“No, we don’t have an exact date for him coming back but we would hope he would have some games before the Euros.”
“Could he play seven games in the Euros? His record over the last few years would suggest no. But is he a top level player who could provide something important, no question.”
“So yeah again he is another one who the first step is get back into training, get back into the team and build that physical resistance as quickly as possible.”
James’ surgeon, Dr Lasse Lempainen, told The Telegraph that he would be back in shape before the European championship. However, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been reluctant to put a date on his return.
With friendlies on the cards against both Brazil and Belgium, all eyes will now be on Southgate as he looks to cement his final choices ahead of the Euro 2024.
