Will Reece James (27, Chelsea) miss out on his first World Cup again?
The Athletic on the 18th (KST) highlighted the possibility that James could fail to make the World Cup, saying, "England's preparation for the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup: If James is hampered by injury, what are the right-back options?"
The outlet said, "Thomas Tuchel, manager of the England national team, who has friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley later this month, will announce the last squad before confirming the final 26-man World Cup roster on Friday. The final composition will likely be largely set, but there could be variables until the end. They must be prepared in case a key player has an issue."
James could be that problem. The Athletic noted, "James looked set to play a major role at the World Cup, but once again a hamstring injury has disrupted plans. He still has time to recover, of course. But there is no guaranteed certainty. Tuchel must consider various alternatives."
James recently suffered his 10th hamstring injury. He signed a six-year contract extension with Chelsea last week but missed the team's open training on Monday. According to an Athletic source, he is expected to be absent for the next few weeks.
James had been holding up without going down for a while, but the team now faces trouble at a difficult time. The outlet emphasized, "This injury is James' 10th hamstring injury since December 2020. In particular, this injury occurred at the worst possible time for Chelsea."
No precise recovery timeline has been announced yet, but a quick return seems unlikely. Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior also expressed concern, calling it "truly frustrating and disappointing," and saying, "A hamstring injury is never a good sign." When asked whether James could be sidelined for more than a few weeks, he replied, "It could be."
Naturally, James will also be unavailable for the two March international fixtures. There is even the possibility that his World Cup participation could be derailed. The Times reported, "Chelsea are worried that James' participation in the 2026 World Cup could be under threat."
James is known in football circles as one of the more injury-prone players. His on-field ability is clearly at a "world-class" level, but frequent injuries have made it difficult for him to appear. That is why he has earned the stigma of being "world-glass." Particularly with recurring hamstring injuries, he has missed more than 130 matches in total due to injury.
Still, he had been healthy over the past year. In December 2023 James flew to Finland to undergo surgery by Lars Lempainen, a name associated with hamstring specialists, and did not injure his left leg afterward. He injured his right hamstring in November 2024 and spent about a month in rehabilitation, but after returning at the end of 2024 he led Chelsea without major injury.
Having again shown his best form, James signed a long-term contract extension with Chelsea just days ago. But he was immediately held back by another hamstring injury. Already having missed the 2022 Qatar World Cup and Euro 2024 due to injury, the situation is all the more lamentable.
The Athletic sighed, "James is entering his prime. Given his talent, it seems natural that he should play on the World Cup stage. But if his fitness again holds him back, England will have to compete in the tournament without him." Should James drop out, potential replacements mentioned include Tino Livramento, Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jarell Quansah.
[Photo] James, Sky Sports social media.
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