Reece James out of England qualifier with Ukraine due to ‘ongoing issue’

Reece James will miss England’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine “for assessment on an ongoing issue”.

The 23-year-old has endured an injury-interrupted season, with the Chelsea right-back missing the World Cup in Qatar due to a knee problem. James came off the bench in Naples as 10-man England saw out a 2-1 victory against reigning champions Italy in Thursday’s European qualification opener – his first cap since September.

But the full-back will be absent for Sunday’s Group C encounter against Ukraine, having returned to Chelsea for evaluation.

“Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad and will not feature against Ukraine on Sunday,” an FA statement said. “The full-back has returned to Chelsea for assessment on an ongoing issue.”

James followed Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope in withdrawing from the initial selection, with the FA confirming on Saturday that “no replacements are planned”.

Fraser Forster, the goalkeeper, is the only player to have come into the original selection and was among the 22 in England training at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground on Saturday lunchtime.

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Luke Shaw was part of the group despite being suspended for the Ukraine match having been sent off for two bookings in quick succession in Italy.