Thomas Tuchel, the head coach of England, is confident Reece James will be fit to face Norway in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final (22:00 BST).
Tuchel’s options at right-back took another hit after Jarell Quansah was sent off in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Mexico, meaning the Bayer Leverkusen defender must sit out England’s next knockout contest in Miami through suspension.
James has yet to resume full training since suffering a hamstring issue during the second group fixture against Ghana, and he has missed the subsequent encounters with Panama, DR Congo and Mexico.
However, growing optimism suggests the 26-year-old could relieve England’s troubles on the right side of defence by rejoining full sessions this week.
After Quansah saw red in the 54th minute in Mexico City, Ezri Konsa — who has started every England match at centre-back — spent the remainder of the game as a right wing-back.
Across the five matches so far, James, Djed Spence, Konsa, John Stones, Quansah and midfielder Declan Rice have all featured in right-sided defensive roles at different moments, while Tino Livramento was ruled out with a calf injury before the tournament began.
Konsa and Spence remain alternatives for Tuchel, but the likely availability of James is a significant boost, given the Chelsea captain is viewed as England’s first-choice right-back.
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