Chelsea captain Reece James hoping for Thomas Tuchel reunion after talks over England recall | OneFootball

Blues skipper hoping to earn first Three Lions cap for almost two years under familiar management

Strong bond: Reece James played the best football of his Chelsea career under new England manager Thomas Tuchel

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Chelsea captain Reece James has revealed he has spoken to Thomas Tuchel about a potential England recall, as the new manager prepares to name his first Three Lions squad.

Now the full-back has hopes of reviving an international career that has stalled badly amid a spate of injuries in recent years. Having at one stage looked primed to usurp Kyle Walker as Southgate’s first-choice right-back, James missed the 2022 World Cup with a knee injury and has earned just one cap since.

“Yes, I have spoken to him since he's got the job,” confirmed James, who made the last of his 16 senior international appearances as a late substitute against Italy almost two years ago. “We have good memories together.

“It's always an honour to represent my country. I focus so much on staying fit and staying healthy and performing to the best of my ability. It's always an honour to represent and I always hope to get called up.”

New role: Reece James has been played in midfield of late by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca

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James was part of the England squad that reached the European Championship final in 2021 but his hopes of playing in last summer’s edition were ended by hamstring surgery midway through the campaign.

Having returned to fitness during pre-season, the 25-year-old has seen further setbacks and injuries continue to disrupt his club career and only since the turn of the year has he been consistently available for Enzo Maresca’s side.

Even now Chelsea are determined to take a cautious approach to his workload, with Maresca admitting he is hesitant to use his captain from the start in back-to-back games within the same week.

“Of course it's frustrating, but I understand it as well,” James said. “It's been tough the last two years, coming back and re-injuring. I understand this is probably the best for me. I'm fit and healthy now and I hope to continue.

“When I'm called upon, I play. I give my best. I try to be ready for every game and it's up to the manager and the rest of the staff to decide whether they feel I'm ready to play. At the end of the day, it's up to them and when I'm called upon, I'll do my best for the team.”

James’s best form under Tuchel came playing as an attacking, overlapping wing-back but Maresca has rarely used his full-backs in that conventional role and over the last fortnight has even experimented with James in midfield.

The switch has evoked memories of James’s success in the role as a teenager on loan at Wigan, with Maresca hinting it could become a more regular option.

"The way the manager plays is different,” James added. “Rewind three years ago, we had a different manager, a different system.

“I'm not the decider of the position I play. It's up to the manager, where he wants to set people up and the rest is down to us. It's a role that I'm fairly used to and with time playing there, I will improve.”