As England’s players packed up their belongings and said their goodbyes to friends and family at Leicester's King Power Stadium, ahead of flying to Switzerland on Monday, Sarina Wiegman and her coaching staff started to consider the biggest question that remains ahead of England’s opening game. After a sparkling 30-minute cameo against Jamaica in their Euro 2025 send-off, just what part will Lauren James play against France on Saturday?
The biggest relief, first of all, is that James is fit enough to feature: after recovering from a hamstring injury that saw her miss the end of the club season at Chelsea, the forward has been able to take part in every England training session over the past two weeks without any issues. James received her first minutes since the end of March off the bench against Jamaica, and immediately looked at ease, gliding on the ball as if she hadn’t missed a beat. Wiegman, however, said that James is still building her fitness towards the France game.
