Injury Update: Chelsea star confident of making the World Cup as recovery gathers pace

Chelsea defender Reece James confident of featuring in the World Cup with recovery ahead of schedule

According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea defender Reece James is confident of featuring for England in the World Cup with his injury recovery ahead of the schedule at the moment.

The wing-back picked up a knee injury in the second week of October when playing against AC Milan at San Siro. Initial diagnosis ruled him out for eight weeks, meaning missing out on the World Cup.

James was scheduled to be wearing a knee brace for four weeks but is slightly ahead of schedule in recovery and is using the brace less and less. He would urge national team boss Gareth Southgate to select him in the final squad, even though there is a chance that he could miss the early parts of the tournament.

The 22-year-old flew to Dubai this week to continue his rehabilitation programme alongside a member of the Chelsea medical department. He is also joined by club teammate Wesley Fofana, who himself is trying to recover from his injury ahead of the World Cup.

James is chiefly working on the gym and the pool, with the club sending the latest updates to the FA so that there is clear communication between the club and the national team.

If he is to be fit in time to feature in Qatar, the 22-year-old would be an important piece in the jigsaw for Southgate’s team. In a back three system, the player can either play as a right-sided centre-back or operate as a wing-back. He is comfortable and very good in both positions, especially the latter.

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Southgate has not hesitated to pick key players with fitness concerns for a tournament in the past. He selected Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson for the Euros even when they were not completely fit at the start of the event. He could do the same with James this time around.