Chelsea’s Reece James was in the spotlight earlier in the week for his England performance.
Reece James has endured a tough couple of years at Chelsea due to frequent injury interruptions, which impacted his international career as well.
Blues supporters were delighted to see him drafted into Thomas Tuchel’s first-ever England squad during March’s international break, the first time he’s been with a Three Lions group since 2023.
On Monday night, James even made his first England start since 2022 in the 3-0 home win over Latvia in a World Cup qualifier. In fact, the defender broke the deadlock with a stunning free-kick from distance, which was his first goal for his country.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer praised James after his quality individual display against Latvia.
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Ben Chilwell messaged Reece James after stunning England goal
On-loan Crystal Palace defender Ben Chilwell, 28, has been teammates with James for many years at Stamford Bridge.
He shared that he messaged the Chelsea captain straight after his memorable England goal at Wembley Stadium on Monday evening. Also, he paid credit to the 25-year-old right-back for overcoming injury problems to get back in the national side.
Chilwell told ITV Sport: “I sent him (James) a message last night. I think he’s probably had hundreds of messages, so I’m sure he’ll get back to me in the next few days.
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“Two and a half years since he played for England… He’s kept that moment in his mind that he’s going to get that opportunity to play for England again. He’s kept working hard, had his injury setbacks, and there you go, he gets his opportunity and scores a goal. That’s just an example of when you do put the work in; things always seem to flip back into your favour.”
Even though James delivered a subdued to his England goal, he must absolutely delighted with how the international break has gone for him. If he can keep himself fit at Chelsea, we’re confident he’ll be going to the 2026 World Cup.
Tuchel claimed James looked sharp during the international window, so the test now is to sustain that at club level during the rest of the season.
He was getting plenty of minutes as a central midfielder at Chelsea before the pause for domestic football. We’re intrigued to see if Blues head coach Enzo Maresca continues with that moving forward in the upcoming matches.
Photo by Valerio Pennicino - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Valerio Pennicino – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Can Ben Chilwell follow Reece James to earn England recall?
Like James, Chilwell knows all about England boss Tuchel from their time together at Chelsea. It’s interesting that during Tuchel’s spell with the Blues his team was built around James and Chilwell as the wing-backs.
Chilwell has 21 senior England caps to his name. His latest international call-up was back in March 2024, though.
The left-back has gone to Crystal Palace for the second half of this 2024/25 season to start playing regularly again after being frozen out by Maresca. Ultimately, he needs to ensure he finds a permanent home where he can keep playing next season.
If Chilwell gets back to his best, we’re confident he can compete with the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall for a spot in England’s squad at the next major tournament.