Gareth Southgate sides with Chelsea star. Reece James of Chelsea has the support of England manager Gareth Southgate, who expects him to follow in the footsteps of Bukayo Saka and play every game for the Three Lions.
For the past two seasons, James, 23, has been among Chelsea’s top performers. Last season, the full-back played in 39 games across all categories and contributed ten assists in addition to six goals. He backed that up in 18 games this season with two goals and the same number of assists.
He has had some trouble with injuries, though. James appeared destined to compete with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier for a starting spot in the England team at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, a severe knee injury he sustained stopped him from traveling to the Middle East.
Southgate believes he will establish himself as a key player for his team now that he is back on the field and performing well. He predicted that the right-back for the Blues will emulate Arsenal’s Saka, 21, and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, 19.
According to Southgate (via the Mirror), “Bukayo Saka and Jude and I went fairly early. Reece is also shoving that aside. We have some exciting athletes, and it’s important to assess their development to determine when it’s appropriate to let them go completely.
At the World Cup in Qatar, England’s top players were Saka and Bellingham. The Arsenal striker managed three goals and one assist for four games, while Bellingham, a freshman at Dortmund, only managed one goal and one assist throughout five games.
James would have given England a better opportunity of moving on in the World Cup, according to many Three Lions supporters. After losing 2-1, they were defeated by runners-up France in the semifinals.
The two forthcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers for England are against Italy on Thursday (March 23) and Ukraine three days later. James will strive to outperform to secure a starting position in Southgate’s team. He was chosen to be a member of the 25-man roster for the two games.
The young Chelsea triumvirate of Chukwuemeka, Humphreys (on loan at Paderborn 07), and Vale contributed to England’s 2-0 victory over Germany. Sam Iling-Junior, a current Juventus player and former Blues youth player, scored twice as the Three Lions prevailed.
On Wednesday, Ian Foster’s team defeated their bitter opponents at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium under the leadership of Chukwuemeka. (March 22). Vale entered the match with 20 minutes left after Humphreys.
In their academy, Chelsea has a wealth of youthful, developing talent that will capitalize on the current international break. David Fofana, who joined the team in January, played for Cote d’Ivoire U23s, who defeated Morocco U23s. He donned the Les Elephants armband.
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