Reece James has been handed fresh hope of making the England squad ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. The 22-year-old defender suffered a knee injury in Chelsea's 2-0 win over AC Milan last month following a collision with Theo Hernandez.
He was set to be out of action for eight weeks and a call-up from Gareth Southgate looked unlikely. After being flown out to Dubai to step up his rehabilitation, James has been recovering ahead of schedule.
It's said that the Cobham graduate has been working in the gym and the pool as the Blues send the FA frequent reports regarding the right-back's fitness and knee stability. And, according to The Sun, James has been told he could be fit in three weeks.
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If the report is to be believed then the Chelsea star will miss all three of the Three Lions' group stage fixtures. England are set to face Iran on November 21, the United States on November 25 and Wales on November 29.
With the Chelsea star in a race against time, Southgate has been handed a huge dilemma as to whether he risks handing James a place in the 26-man squad. Fellow right-back Kyle Walker is also racing to secure a place in the squad having recently returned from injury.
Speaking on a YouTube video, James admitted that a surgeon told him that he could be out for two months. He said: "Last week I went in for a tackle against AC Milan when I got injured.
"I didn't think it was too bad after the game, I stayed an extra day in Milan and thought maybe it was just a little niggle. I think a day or two later I saw a surgeon. He told me that I was going to be out for around two months."
James has started in each of England's previous four UEFA Nations League fixtures, featuring in both a back-five and back-four. It can be said that the Chelsea star is trusted by Southgate and his versatility could prove pivotal when deciding whether to gamble on his availability.
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