England and Chelsea have announced that Reece James will not take part in the upcoming Euro 2023 qualifier with Ukraine. In addition, the defender has fully withdrawn from the squad and will return to his club.
An official statement states that he “has returned to Chelsea for assessment of an ongoing issue”. Given his track record with injuries this is the last thing either fanbase wants to hear.
Reece James Withdraws From England Squad Due to Injury
Frequent Injury Issues
The 23-year-old has had a campaign full of setbacks. He missed the entire World Cup due to a knee injury that saw him sidelined for two months at the end of 2022, upon his return he suffered a further setback and missed about a month of action to start this calendar year.
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It would appear that he is still dealing with niggling issues having withdrawn from international duty, presumably as a precaution, to get himself checked out by his club medics.
Top Quality
These issues have proved to be a major setback for both the national team and the Blues as James is a fantastic player. He is a capable right-back/right wing-back who can defend well and be dangerous going forward. Given his position requires a lot of running and pace, it is worrisome to see him suffer with injuries to the knee area so often.
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Despite the obvious qualities the defender holds, injuries could see him lose out with either Chelsea or England as they look to more reliable options. Especially with Malo Gusto arriving at Stamford Bridge next season and the English squash having solid options at the right-back position.
