Chelsea player Reece James was not included in the 26- man World Cup squad for England. Gareth Southgate’s decision not to select the Chelsea player was criticized by many football pundits. James Reece suffered an injury at the match against Inter Milan which would keep him out for eight weeks. It would mean that the English man could be back by December 11. Had the Chelsea player been selected, he could have played in the quarter-final if England could qualify.
Chelsea’s James on being left out of the World Cup squad
The right- shared his disappointment while writing a post on his social media,
“Devastated. The minute I injured my knee, I knew the turn around to make the World Cup would be tight, but I always felt it was possible.“
He further described his frustration:
“I’ve worked harder than I ever thought I could to give myself the best chance of going and truly believed | could help the team. I appreciate there was risk on both sides but it was one I was willing to take. Good luck to the boys. I’ll be back soon. Stay safe & sending love.”
Pundits question Southgate’s decision
Many pundits question this decision of Southgate. The England coach chooses to include the likes of Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips who are yet to return from their injury. After the squad announcement, the right back further made his disappointment known with a tweet that criticized Southgate’s decision. The tweet by Paul Merson stated:
“I just find it weird that Gareth Southgate is willing to gamble on Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker but not Reece James? If it was Harry Kane, he would be going – what’s the difference?
He added further,
“If it was Harry Kane, they would say, ‘right we’ll take him and use him after the group stages’. We need to take one of our best players. I just don’t understand it. Reece James is as important as Harry Kane.”
Reece James is surely disappointed with Southgate’s decision but the Chelsea player could utilize this time to focus on recovering and resting so that he could come back stronger later in the season.
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