James ´devastated´ by injury but will ´do everything´ to win World Cup race

Reece James has described the knee injury that threatens to rule him out of the World Cup as “devastating”, but says he will do everything in his power to feature in Qatar.

The right-back sustained the injury in Chelsea’s Champions League win at Milan last week, and was ruled out for eight weeks after seeing a specialist.

If James were to miss the tournament, it would represent a severe blow for England manager Gareth Southgate, who is facing the prospect of a selection crisis on the right of his defence.

Manchester City’s Kyle Walker is also battling to be fit after suffering an abdominal injury earlier this month, while Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under fire for his recent performances.

However, Chelsea boss Graham Potter said last week that James would “fight” to return in time for the tournament, and the defender has now made a similar pledge.

“It’s obviously devastating and you know the World Cup is only a month away,” James said on his YouTube channel. “As a kid, growing up, I always wanted to go and this is my first opportunity.

“I’ll do everything I can to try to be there, but I’m obviously devastated. Just [the] injury came at the wrong time. But every day, we need to be grateful and thankful.

“I’ll keep you updated with what’s happening on a day-to-day basis, and I’ll touch base soon.”

England begin their World Cup campaign in less than a month’s time, facing Iran in their Group B opener on November 21.

The race against time is on… But we won’t give up.

— Reece James (@ReeceJames) October 15, 2022