Roy Hodgson has admitted he's not a fan of Reece James' social media post revealing that Gareth Southgate chose not to pick the England star in the 2022 Qatar World Cup squad.
The 22-year-old has been in a race against time to recovery enough to convince the Three Lions boss that he would be a worthwhile pick for the tournament despite a knee injury sustained last month likely to sideline him until the knockout stages if he did go.
It's not out of the ordinary to do this, and Southgate has done the same with Harry Maguire previously, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips will also be short of gametime heading into the tournament.
READ MORE Gareth Southgate has just handed Graham Potter early Christmas present with clear Chelsea plan
James had to be helped off the field against AC Milan last month with a knee injury and the issue escalated quickly to the point that his place in Qatar was always a doubt. The initial statement from Chelsea gave him eight weeks, four of which would be spent in a protective boot, and the remaining four weeks took him to the first two weeks of December.
At this stage the knockout stages will be on the agenda and a choice was needed as to if it was worth the risk to have James there, especially with the cover at rightback and wingback from other options. James addressed his omission on Wednesday (one day before Southgate's 26-man squad was officially announced) in a social media post, writing: "Devastated. The minute I injured my knee, I knew the turn around to make the World Cup would be tight, but I always felt it was possible.
"I've worked harder than I ever thought I could to give myself the best chance of going and truly believed | could help the team. I appreciate there was risk on both sides but it was one I was willing to take. Good luck to the boys. I'll be back soon. Stay safe & sending love."
However, James publicly disagreeing with the choice taken by his country hasn't gone down well with former manager Hodgson, who said, "I'm not really in favour of what Reece James has done here because that would have been a discussion he'd have had with his club, with doctors, he's had the discussions with Gareth, the decision has been made to then go out and say 'if it was up to me, I wouldn't have done it,' but who wouldn't?
"Which player is not going to say, 'well I could have made it. The decision has got to be made by doctors, by specialists and finally by the man who is going to live or die by that player's performances and if he doesn't believe that he's going to give those performances then he's perfectly entitled to say 'sorry.' "
James was part of the England squad that went to the final of Euro 2020 and was set to be the starting right-sided defender after an impressive opening to the campaign with his club. He will now have to wait to return to domestic action after the competition and set his sights on Euro 2024.
READ MORE
Chelsea player ratings vs Man City as Lewis Hall impresses in loss, Mateo Kovacic promise
Chelsea's World Cup issue that could take weeks to recover as Potter bids to close Man City gap
John Terry gives glowing review of Lewis Hall as Chelsea youngster shines against Man City
Gareth Southgate has just handed Graham Potter early Christmas present with clear Chelsea plan
Graham Potter reveals Reece James injury impact as Chelsea boss questions World Cup scheduling
