Chelsea defender Reece James is reportedly recovering from his major injury quicker than expected and could yet play for England at the World Cup.
James picked up a serious knee injury while playing against AC Milan in the Champions League in October and was ruled out for at least eight weeks, which all but ruled out his chances of making it to Qatar.
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But, according to the Evening Standard, the right-back has told his close friends that his recovery is ahead of schedule and that his is confident of a place in the Three Lions squad.
The 22-year-old flew to Dubai this week to continue his rehabilitation alongside a member of the Chelsea medical department, who is sending regular updates to the FA concerning his fitness.
Southgate and James have also been in contact but the manager has not put any pressure on him to speed up his recovery.
Southgate will select his 26-man squad for Qatar next week Thursday and at least one of England’s right-backs is expected to not be called-up.
Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold are likely to make the cut with James and Man City’s Kyle Walker fighting to be fit in time for the World Cup, with the latter also on the sidelines with a groin injury.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s game with Arsenal, Chelsea head coach Graham Potter claimed he had no new updates from Dubai surrounding James’ injury.
Even if James is selected for the World Cup he may not be fit enough for England’s opening match against Iran on November 21 but could play further into the tournament.
A similar situation occurred at Euro 2020, when Harry Maguire and Henderson were still recovering from injury at the start of the summer only to go on and play a major part in the Three Lions’ run to the final.
