Reece James
CHEEngland
Right
Dec 8, 1999
26
5'11"
181 lb
RB
CM
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Remains option for Sunday
James is still set to be an option for Sunday's match against Sunderland, according to manager Callum McFarlane. "Reece trained today, and we'll play it day by day with him. He's fit and in good condition, but we know that we've had to manage Reece correctly over the last few games. He obviously played a lot of minutes in the [FA Cup] final, which was a tough game against a really good side, so it was going to take a lot out of him, so we didn't want to risk him on Tuesday. We felt like we had enough to see the game out, which proved to be correct, and we're hoping to have Reece available on Sunday."
Analysis: James was a bit of a concern after he missed the club's midweek match due to some rest, but continues to trend in the right direction and is seemingly set to return Sunday. This is huge news for the club's skipper, as he will end the season on the field and in good health ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He has been a consistent starter around the midfield and defense all season and should return to that role to end the campaign, looking to potentially add to his two goals and four assists in the finale.
Should start finale
James is expected to be fine for Sunday's finale against Sunderland. According to interim coach Calum McFarlane, "We had Reece on the bench tonight but, again, coming off the back of an injury, the turnaround from the City game, the type of game that the City game was, we didn't really want to risk him in that moment."
Analysis: James stayed on the bench Tuesday against Tottenham, but there was no reason to push him too far after going 83 minutes in Saturday's FA Cup final. Given his injury history, multiple starts in a short period is unlikely in the next couple months, depending on how Thomas Tuchel wants to use him during the World Cup. Either way, he seems to be fully fit and ready ahead of the World Cup with 90 minutes a possibility in Sunday's final against Sunderland.
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