Why Reece James has withdrawn from England duty after Chelsea injury vs Liverpool | OneFootball

Chelsea defender Reece James has withdrawn from the England camp for the October internationals.

The 25-year-old has been a regular under head coach Enzo Maresca, who has managed to get the club captain's fitness issues under control to make him a regular in the Chelsea side.

James put in a captain's performance during Chelsea's 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday evening, and was set to join up with Thomas Tuchel's England side for their fixtures against Wales and Latvia.

However, James will play no part in either fixture after it was confirmed he would be replaced by Manchester City's Nico O’Reilly.

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England and Chelsea release Reece James statements

The FA were the first to release official communication of James' withdrawal, stating: "Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly has received his first call up to the England senior squad.

"The 20-year-old moves across from the MU21s squad and comes into contention for the Three Lions’ forthcoming fixtures against Wales and Latvia.

"The inclusion of O’Reilly, who has been capped from MU15 through to MU20 level, follows the withdrawal of Reece James.

"The Chelsea captain sustained an injury playing for his club over the weekend and has been ruled out of England’s October internationals following medical assessments."

Chelsea followed up with a statement of their own, adding: "Reece James has been withdrawn from the England squad ahead of the Three Lions' forthcoming games against Wales and Latvia.

IMAGO / Propaganda Photo

"The Chelsea skipper was our only representative in Thomas Tuchel's England squad this month, but he will now not be involved in their matches this Thursday and next Tuesday.

"James, who has 21 England caps, has featured for the Blues nine times this season, including in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Liverpool.

"James has been replaced in Tuchel's squad by Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly."

Reason for Reece James' withdrawal revealed

James suffered a gash on his leg against Liverpool, however it is not believed to be the reason for his withdrawal from England.

IMAGO / Sportimage

As reported by Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, James' issue is a minor ongoing problem, which would have meant the defender would have likely missed both matches.

A decision was therefore made by England to send James back to Chelsea, which is expected to be a short-term injury for the right-back.

Chelsea will hope he is available for their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on October 18 when domestic action returns.