BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 05: Nico O'Reilly of Manchester City claps the fans after the Premier League match between Brentford and Manchester City at Gtech Community Stadium on October 05, 2025 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Nico O'Reilly has been called up by Thomas Tuchel
Reece James has dropped out of the squad and been replaced by the uncapped Nico O'Reilly. The captain suffered an injury during at home to on Saturday.
James, 25, will now miss England's friendly against at Wembley on Thursday before side face Latvia away from home in a qualifier next Tuesday. The fixtures could see 20-year-old O'Reilly make his senior England debut.
The starlet was initially named in under-21 squad, having played for England at every age group from under-15 level. O'Reilly played the full 90 minutes as City beat 1-0 on Sunday, having broken into the first-team team under last season.
Last month, the City left-back was handed a new five-year contract. Guardiola was delighted by the news, saying: "Rico Lewis, now Nico O'Reilly, Savinho is close and in the past Ruben (Dias) has done it (signed a new contract) as well.
"We want him, so we did the effort that we need to help him stay here longer. I'm really pleased because Nico is growing a lot.
"Since he started playing, I think we have lost just one game in the final against . Nico helped us a lot, he improved his aggression, [he's dangerous] from set-pieces, with the ball and we are really pleased."
James' injury is believed to be a wound on his shin. The Chelsea right-back played the full game to help men beat Liverpool but revealed the gash on social media after the match.
His injury adds to a growing crisis in defence for the Blues. Maresca was without four centre-backs heading into Saturday before two more came off injured, although it turns out that they were taken off as 'precautions'.
Did Nico O'Reilly deserve a first England call-up? Have your say in the .
Reece James shared his injury on Instagram post-match
Chelsea coach , fielding questions after Maresca had been sent off for overcelebrating their 96th-minute winner, told reporters: "The two central defenders, it was just prevention. They made a great effort today, but just prevention. We spoke with them already and they said that they are okay, so [it is] good for us."
Pre-match, Maresca had blamed the mounting injuries on Chelsea's quick turnaround after the Club World Cup. "It's reality," the Blues boss said. If and Chelsea have so many injuries, probably it's some consequences from the Club World Cup.
"In this moment we have four or five defenders out, but we’re going to try to adapt and find the right solution. It is difficult, but at the same time we trust the ones that are here.
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