James was absent from Chelsea training this week and has been excluded from the England squad
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Reece James is unlikely to feature for Chelsea against Brentford
Reece James is unlikely to feature for Chelsea against Brentford (Reuters)
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Reece James has suffered an injury which has ruled the Chelsea captain out of England’s autumn international camp.
James missed training this week and Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso refused to shed any light on his fitness ahead of the Blues’ trip to Brentford on Friday evening, saying on Thursday: “It was just a decision and we see his development, and tomorrow we will decide.”
But James is unlikely to take any part in the match at the Gtech Stadium, having been left out of Tuchel’s first squad since the World Cup.
In his place, Trent Alexander-Arnold has been granted a surprise recall. Fellow right-back Tino Livramento, who withdrew from the World Cup squad with a calf injury, has also been included in the 27-man selection for the start of England’s 2026/27 Nations League campaign.
England made a rollercoaster run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in North America this summer, where they fell to a hugely disappointing defeat by arch rivals Argentina in Atlanta, giving up a one-goal lead with a defensive retreat for which Tuchel and his players were heavily criticised.
Now the manager and his team have the chance to reset with this bumper three-week international break. The Three Lions are drawn in League 1, Group C with world champions Spain, Croatia and Czechia, and the group winner will qualify for the Nations League finals in June.
England host Spain at Wembley on 26 September, before away trips to Czechia on 29 September and Croatia on 3 October. The international break will wrap up on 6 October when Czechia visit Wembley for the return fixture.
more to follow...