Gareth Southgate admits it was "very difficult" to leave Reece James out of his England squad - but fears it would have been "arrogant" to take the Chelsea defender to the World Cup.
The Three Lions boss unveiled his 26-man squad for the Qatar tournament on Thursday afternoon, with no room for right-back James. The 22-year-old had already confirmed one day earlier he would not be travelling to the Middle East after suffering a major knee injury during a Champions League fixture against AC Milan in October.
James worked tirelessly to recover and prove his fitness to no avail. In his absence, Southgate has selected Newcastle's Kieran Trippier and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold as his main options on the right of defence, with Arsenal's Benjamin White and Manchester City's Kyle Walker also able to play in the role.
Southgate claimed his decision not to take James, whom he views as a "fantastic player", was partly motivated by not wanting to appear "arrogant". Given the London native will not be fit until the knockout stage, naming him in the squad could make it appear as though England are underestimating a group containing Iran, United States and Wales.
"Of course, we had to make a very difficult call with Reece, who we think is a fantastic player," Southgate said. "But he wasn't going to be available, if everything went perfectly, until the latter stages of the tournament, and there were too many unknowns for us on that road to recovery.
"And also I don't think we can take a player who's not available for the group, that would be deemed arrogant in some circles. But also, if everything went well and he was available and he was ready and we were picking him, then we'd be dropping him into a quarter-final after eight weeks out. That would be really demanding. A tough call."
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In his statement confirming he will not be travelling to the Middle East this winter, James wrote on social media: "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 I could help the team. I appreciate there was a 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 and sending love."
James is regarded as one of England's finest defenders and has made 11 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions this season, chipping in with two goals and two assists.
