Reece James withdraws from England squad with another injury

Reece James could be set for yet another spell on the sidelines due to injury. The Chelsea right-back has left the England national team squad because of an “ongoing issue.”

Although the Football Association (FA) would not confirm exactly the type of injury, James recently suffered a hamstring problem earlier in the month. Nevertheless, he did play the final five minutes on Thursday against Italy.

“Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad and will not feature against Ukraine on Sunday,” read a statement from the FA. “The full back has returned to Chelsea for assessment on an ongoing issue.”

Injury issues have hampered defender’s season

The defender previously missed out on the World Cup in Qatar because of a nagging knee injury. James has been unable to play 19 matches for Chelsea during the current campaign because of various injuries.

This includes two knee injuries, a hamstring issue, and an illness. It remains to be seen how serious the most recent setback will be.

Chelsea have struggled overall this season, but they have clearly missed James in defense.

The west London club have won just four of 17 total domestic matches this season without James.

All four of these victories have also come against teams currently in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Blues fans will be hoping that the setback is just a precaution and James will be fit to face Aston Villa on April 1st.

England injuries mounting ahead of Ukraine game

James joins Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, and Nick Pope as England stars to withdraw from the team because of injury. Manager Gareth Southgate has reportedly chosen not to select any replacements.

England will next face Ukraine on Sunday in a Euro 2024 qualifying match. The Three Lions will also be without Luke Shaw after the left back was sent off against Italy earlier in the week.

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