Chelsea defender Reece James insists he will not give up on his World Cup dream with England.
The influential right-back is expected to be sidelined for around eight weeks after receiving medical treatment and specialist advice on a knee injury suffered during the Champions League victory over AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday.
Such a timescale would see James miss out on the inaugural winter tournament in Qatar, with Gareth Southgate’s options on the right side of defence thinning alarmingly with Manchester City’s Kyle Walker also in a race against time to be fit for the tournament after groin surgery.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is also dealing with an ankle problem at present, but is expected to be back in action for Liverpool within the next fortnight.
Despite the pessimistic prognosis confirmed by Chelsea on Saturday night, James later tweeted to suggest that he is not yet losing hope of being able to play at the World Cup.
The race against time is on… But we won’t give up.
— Reece James (@ReeceJames) October 15, 2022
In a defiant late-night message, the 22-year-old wrote: “The race against time is on… But we won’t give up.”
James has been in exceptional form this season and earned widespread praise for a series of excellent performances under both Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel, with his versatility such a key weapon for both club and country.
While England will loathe to be without him at the World Cup, Chelsea face a crucial run of fixtures without arguably their best player so far this term, with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City all to come on the schedule before the mid-season break.
Much has been made of Three Lions boss Southgate’s fondness for right-backs, with the recent glut of fitness issues potentially good news for Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier.
Leicester’s James Justin and Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters are the only other right-backs to have been involved in the England senior squad over recent months, though Ben White must surely now come into the reckoning having successfully performed that role for Premier League leaders Arsenal this term.
Southgate will have at least been encouraged by Walker’s recent interview on BBC Radio 5 Live in which he declared himself confident of being fit for Qatar.
“I’m well above what they thought I’d be able to do at this point,” Walker said. “I just feel I can do this. I am going to have to be patient with it. There will be bumps in the road but hopefully, come the selection, I’m included.”
