Chelsea defender Reece James has reportedly been informed he will not be included in England’s World Cup squad.

It was always going to be a tall task, but Reece james  has recently been working towards a surprise inclusion on England’s World Cup Roster. According to reports late on Tuesday, these efforts will be in vain and he will not have recovered from his injury in time to make it. 

Martin Lipton stated on Tuesday that the right-back will not be in Gareth Southgate’s squad that he takes to Qatar. He would have likely been one of the first names on the list had he not been hit with an unfortunate knee injury in recent weeks. 

Lipton stated that Southgate views taking James as a ‘gamble’ and this is not something he is comfortable doing, given the plethora of talent he has to choose from. Using a spot on someone who is potentially not fully fit could prove detrimental in the knockouts. 

The England manager ensured James heard this directly from him, calling him to deliver the unfortunate news. 

The 22-year-old will be crushed but he should know he will likely have multiple opportunities to earn a spot for England at future World Cups. This development could also benefit Chelsea, as an important player will not be rushing back from injury for the World Cup.