England have received a major lift ahead of their Euro 2025 campaign as Chelsea forward Lauren James has been cleared to play in the upcoming friendly against Jamaica. This will mark her first appearance since April following a hamstring issue that sidelined her for three months. She is expected to feature as a substitute at the King Power Stadium, as manager Sarina Wiegman carefully manages her return to full fitness.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
James available for selection against JamaicaIs making a comeback from a hamstring injuryWiegman likely to manage her minutes before the EurosFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Wiegman shared a positive assessment of James’ recovery when she faced the press before facing the Caribbean nation in a friendly as part of their Euro 2025 preparations. The Dutch manager revealed that although the forward hasn’t yet played in a competitive fixture since sustaining the injury, she is progressing well.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT WIEGMAN SAID
"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 about James' condition.
The England boss confirmed that James will likely be used from the bench as a way to gradually reintroduce her to competitive action.
"She will likely come off the bench – we can manage that a bit," she revealed. "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."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
James played a crucial role in England’s journey to the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. During the group stage, she was one of the standout performers, contributing three goals and three assists. However, her campaign was marred by a red card in the round of 16 against Nigeria, which led to a suspension that limited her participation in the knockout rounds. She came off the bench in the final against Spain but could not prevent the Lionesses from going down 1-0 to the eventual world champions.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR JAMES?
With James on the mend and returning to the squad at a crucial time, England’s hopes of retaining their crown have received a timely boost. The friendly against Jamaica will serve as their final tune-up before the European Championship begins. They kick off their title defence on 5 July against France at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland.