Chelsea forward Lauren James is available to play against Jamaica in a boost to England’s Euro 2025 preparations – her first match since April after recovering from a hamstring injury.
The 23-year-old has not featured for club or country in three months so is expected to come on as a substitute in England’s final friendly on Sunday at 17:00 BST.
Sarina Wiegman’s side begin the defence of their European title in Switzerland on 5 July when they face France in their group opener.
“We have to manage the minutes. She’s doing really well, but of course she hasn’t played games yet. But she’s in a good place,” said Wiegman when asked if James could feature at the King Power Stadium.
“She will likely come off the bench – we can manage that a bit.
“She showed up in the training sessions really well. She could cope with loads and recover from loads.
“Her performance has been really good. She’s ready; we’re just still growing into minutes. This is the first time in a while that she’s coming into a game.
“She [needs to] get through that. Then we’ll take it from there towards the tournament.”
James was one of the stars of England’s route to the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, with three goals and three assists in the group stages before being sent off in the last-16 victory over Nigeria.
England defender Jess Carter said it was “exciting” to see James back in training and is confident she can have an impact in the tournament.
“The most impressive thing for me is that she has come back as almost a new player,” said Carter.
“She looks so fresh and sharp. She is a pain to play against. Good luck to anyone having to play against her in the tournament.”
Gotham FC defender Carter is hoping to push into Wiegman‘s starting XI but says the competition in the squad is “great”.
“There is not one chance where you can be complacent. You have to be at the highest level every training session, every game, because if you don’t, you’re probably not going to play,” said Carter.
“That’s what we want as players – to have players that can compete in multiple positions and perform at the highest level.”
Bbc.com
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