Reece James will not be fit again for Euro 2024 as Mauricio Pochettino offers injury update

Mauricio Pochettino says he will not rush Reece James' recovery to get him fit for the Euros.

He Chelsea The defender has been nursing a hamstring injury he suffered in August last year.

having been forced to undergo surgery, James has been limited to just eight appearances this season in a disappointing campaign.

James also managed just 16 appearances last season, partly due to a knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022.

But with this summer's European Championships on the horizon, there seems to be no guarantee he will be fit to compete.

When asked about the date of James' return, Pochettino said: “I can't say the date when it will be possible.

“His goal and ours is for him to be fit and feel happy and good. Then we will see the possibility of going to the Euros or not, or being ready for next season or playing before we finish this season.

“The most important thing now is to regain his confidence, his physical condition, to recover all the good feelings.

“The objective is not to try to play the last five games either in the Euro Cup or in the preseason.

“The goal is to regain your confidence and feel strong, and then start playing when you feel strong and can face the competition again.”

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Remarkably, James has only made one major tournament appearance for England during Euro 2020, with the defender being ruled out of the World Cup in Qatar due to a serious knee injury.

But when discussing his fitness prospects, Pochettino says they have been in contact with the England camp and says: “I didn't speak to (Southgate).

“But we have talked about people involved (in the FA), doctors and performance people.

“It's not about 'now I can go out on the field, I can play.'

“It's to make sure we can go to the competition and he can feel strong and forget everything that happened in the past.”