Gareth Southgate has suggested that Reece James is the next young star to force himself into the England starting lineup, just as Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham have done recently. The Three Lions are set to lock horns with Italy and Ukraine this month as they kick off their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
The 23-year-old has continued to impress for Chelsea this season, featuring 12 times in the Premier League and directly contributing towards two goals from right-back. James has also often captained the Blues this term, showcasing his development off and on the pitch.
Despite his exciting performance for the west London outfit, James is yet to cement the right-back position for England with Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold in contention too. However, Southgate has suggested that the Cobham graduate is closer to making the position his own than first thought.
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Speaking to the press ahead of the Three Lions' clash with Italy, the England boss backed James to follow in the footsteps of Saka and Bellingham. As quoted by The Mirror, Southgate said: "The team is always evolving.
"You’re always looking at young players that when is the right moment to put them in, not just to start a couple of games, but when is the right moment for them to become a fixture in the team. That happened again with Jude [Bellingham] most recently and we have got one or two others who are just on the fringes we are hoping to give that opportunity to in the coming 12 months.
"We went pretty early with Bukayo Saka and Jude, Reece is obviously pushing around that as well. We’ve got some exciting players and it’s about looking at their progression, looking at when is the right time to really let them go."
James missed the World Cup in Qatar due to injury so he'll be desperate to remind Southgate of his abilities. He suffered a knee injury in Chelsea's 2-0 win over AC Milan in November following a collision with Theo Hernandez.
Ben Chilwell, who has also been called up to the England squad for the forthcoming international period, also missed the World Cup in Qatar due to injury and he's revealed that he and James supported each other during the difficult time.
"I’m equally very pleased [to see him back in the squad]," Chilwell said. "I know the kind of player Reece is and in a kind of weird way it was nice that we had each other during that time because it was someone that you could share the pain, so to speak, of missing a World Cup with.
"We helped each other a lot through that experience. We’ve come out stronger and we’re both playing well for our club at the moment and hopefully we can help us do well this week."
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