Reece James on working with Thomas Tuchel and his first World Cup

The Chelsea skipper is part of the Three Lions squad, along with his Blues team-mate Trevoh Chalobah who was a late call-up following injury to fellow Cobham graduate, Tino Livramento.

England, led by former Chelsea head coach Tuchel, open their campaign later today at the Dallas Stadium, Arlington, with James hoping he can finally feature at a World Cup having missed out previously through injury.

And, the man who could give him that opportunity, is someone the right-back knows better than most in the squad. A man who knows what it’s like to win a major trophy, following our successful Champions League win under the German back in 2021.

‘I had an amazing time with the manager together at Chelsea and I’m happy he's the [England] boss,’ James said of Tuchel, in an interview with the England official app. ‘I’m glad to work with him again.

‘Timing is everything [in football] and I've missed a few major tournaments. I’ve tried to be ready and be as well prepared as possible for this one, and I'll give my country my all.

‘For sure, that’s why we’re here [to win the World Cup]. We didn’t come to just take part, and as we speak, we're on the mountain, still climbing.

‘There's still room to go for sure and it’s good the fans are in high spirits, but the tournament is yet to start for us so we have a long way to go.’

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