Lauren James in line to make return from injury for England against Jamaica
Lauren James is in line for her first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury in April when England host Jamaica in Sunday's Women's Euro 2025 send-off friendly.
The Chelsea forward, 23, has been unable to feature for club or country since limping off midway through the Lionesses' 5-0 Nations League win against Belgium nearly three months ago.
James returned to training last week and boss Sarina Wiegman says the England star could feature in Sunday's final warm-up friendly against Jamaica at Leicester's King Power Stadium.
'We have to manage the minutes,' the Lionesses head coach said. 'She's doing really well, but of course she hasn't played games yet. But she's in a good place.
😁 LJ pic.twitter.com/SsO0rb2ebq
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 26, 2025
'She will likely come off the bench, we can manage that a bit. She showed up on the training session 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 and [she needs to] get through that. Then we'll take it from there towards the tournament.'
James sparkled during England's run to the World Cup final in Australia two years ago and team-mate Jess Carter says it is 'really exciting' for her to be back.
'For me she's a good friend and we all know she is an incredible footballer, but I think the most impressive thing for me is just that she has come back in like a new player,' the defender said.
'Maybe the injury was a bit of a blessing in disguise, in terms of that she just looks so fresh, so sharp, and she really impacts the game and the team.
'And she is a pain to play against. Good luck to any of the other players having to play against her in the tournament.'
England kick-off their Euros title defence against France in Zurich next Saturday, before Group D continues with clashes against the Netherlands and Wales.
Squad selfie 🤳 ✅ pic.twitter.com/nq0IRMxZX0
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 27, 2025
It is a tough-looking pool, but Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has said that Wiegman will stay regardless of the outcome in Switzerland.
'We've had conversations and, of course, I extended my contract until 2027, after the World Cup,' said the Lionesses boss, who has led England to Euros glory and a World Cup final in her two tournaments at the helm.
'We're going into a new tournament now and I feel very happy here. I'm excited to go into a new tournament.
'I'm not looking too much ahead – the contract is until 2027 and I've always felt so much support from Mark and the board and I still feel that way. And it's really nice that he confirms that.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Club World Cup could be moved to winter in switch that would cause havoc with PL
The Club World Cup could yet be moved to Qatar as representatives from the country lobby with FIFA to make the switch from America - but it would mean it being held in December Qatar have expressed an interest in hosting the Club World Cup in 2029 after its inaugural showing in the United States this summer - but they would have to move it to the winter. Qatari representatives have held talks with FIFA 's highest ranking officials during the tournament in America and indicated a desire to stage the next edition in four years' time, but it would play havoc with the domestic football calendar if they did take it to the Middle East. Back in 2022 Qatar held the World Cup, but the climate in their country meant it had to be held in the winter, forcing every domestic league to pause for over a month. But those in the Middle East have put forward a strong sales pitch to FIFA and have claimed they could host a carbon-neutral tournament. The current Club World Cup has involved teams flying all over the United States with venues in 11 different cities. The nine stadiums Qatar built to host the World Cup remain in place. They could be all be utilised with the size of their country meaning they could minimise staging costs and travel for fans, reports the Guardian. Even during the tournament in America, which has lower average temperatures than Qatar, there have been mass complaints over the conditions by the players. The global players' union Fifpro set to address their welfare concerns in a press conference on Monday. It means that any discussion of a Club World Cup in December 2029 in Qatar would result in heavy backlash from the European leagues including the Premier League due to the disruption it would cause to domestic seasons. Jurgen Klopp is among those to criticise the Club World Cup, with his gripes largely centring on player welfare. 'It's a pointless competition,' he said. 'Whoever wins it will be the worst winner of all time because they'll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league. There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas.' He also added: 'It's too many games. I fear next season we will see injuries like never before. If not then, they'll come during or after the Club World Cup. There's no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Rangers star Nikola Katic to join German giants in shock cut-price transfer
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT wasn't too long ago that sections of the Rangers support were clamouring for Nikola Katic to return. But while the imposing defender is on the move once again, it certainly WON'T be to Ibrox. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 4 Nikola Katic spend the second half of last season at Plymouth Argyle Credit: AP 4 He was part of the side that stunned Liverpool in the FA Cup Credit: AFP 4 Katic spent four years on the books at Rangers Credit: PA Katic, 28, was one of Steven Gerrard's first signings as Rangers manager in June 2018. Signed from Croatian club Slaven Belupo, he went on to spend four years with the Light Blues. While there were some major highs - including a memorable Old Firm winner at Celtic Park - his time at Ibrox was blighted by injury. In July 2020, Katic suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out for more than a year. It meant he missed the entire season as the Gers won the Scottish Premiership title in 2021. His Light Blues career would never recover from the injury and he spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Hajduk Split. After briefly returning to Rangers, he was on the move permanently in August 2022. Katic joined FC Zurich where he would enjoy a successful stint. He returned to the UK in January this year, joining Plymouth Argyle on loan until the end of the season. Katic became a fans' favourite at Home Park but he couldn't prevent the club being relegated to League One. Rangers stars Borna Barisic and Nikola Katic followed by film crew in Glasgow city centre He played a memorable role in Plymouth's shock 1-0 FA Cup triumph over Liverpool, losing a tooth during the bruising encounter. Fast forward to now, and Katic is on the move again. Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg is reporting that there's a full agreement for Katic to join Schalke. He claims the deal will be signed and sealed on Tuesday with a contract running until 2028. While Schalke are one of Germany's biggest clubs, they're a fallen giant these days. They were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2023 and mounting financial trouble saw them flirt with potential demotion to either the third or fourth tier. 4 In the end, they kept their place in the 2. Bundesliga and finished 14th last season. This summer, Schalke hired Miron Muslic as their new manager. He was the manager who signed Katic for Plymouth last season and clearly liked what he saw. Katic, capped eight times for Bosnia and Herzegovina, is heading to Germany for a very modest fee indeed. Plettenberg says he'll be moving for just 450,000 Euros which is a fee of just over £384,000. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Cristiano Ronaldo gives telling explanation after Club World Cup rejection
Portugal and Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't involved in the 2025 Club World Cup but the veteran received a number of offers to take part in the tournament Cristiano Ronaldo claims he turned down offers from Club World Cup participants to ensure he's in solid shape for a long domestic and international season. The veteran has instead extended his Al-Nassr contract, and will remain in the Saudi Pro League before aiming to lead Portugal to glory at the 2026 World Cup. Former Manchester United star Ronaldo became the highest-paid player in the world when he ended his second Old Trafford spell and moved to Riyadh. He has finished as the top scorer in the Saudi top flight in each of his two full seasons, but has yet to win a league or AFC Champions League title. River Plate were among the interested parties who failed with a Ronaldo approach. "In mid-March, informally, through a mutual friend, I told him, 'Hey, I have a Club World Cup coming up, for a player like you, who defined an era… don't you have any intention of playing in it?'" manager Marcelo Gallardo told ESPN. "Not only did he feel recognised, but he evaluated it, thought about it, but then responded, 'I have to prepare for next season'." Gallardo added. And Ronaldo's comments upon extending his Al-Nassr stay are consistent with that. Fluminense also explored a move, only to be knocked back, and Ronaldo has shed more light on the situation. "I had some offers to play (Club) World Cup, but I think it didn't make sense because I prefer to have a good rest, a good preparation, because this season will be very long, because this is the season of the World Cup at the end," the 40-year-old told Al-Nassr TV. While he isn't involved in this year's 32-team Club World Cup, he previously represented both United and Real Madrid in the competition before its expansion. He is a four-time winner - once with United in 2008 and three times with Madrid in 2014, 2016 and 2017. He made key contributions in those 2016 and 2017 finals as Madrid went back-to back. A hat-trick in 2016 helped the Spanish club overcome Kashima Antlers after extra-time, while the following year he scored the only goal of the game in a victory over Gremio. Ronaldo scored his 138th international goal in June, helping Portugal secure a 1-1 draw with Spain in the UEFA Nations League final before winning on penalties. He also netted in the semi-final victory over Germany and the second leg of the quarter-final triumph against Denmark in March. Portugal have yet to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign due to those Nations League responsibilities, but will kick things off away to Armenia in September. Hungary and Ireland are the other teams in their group, with the winners qualifying automatically and the runners-up going into the play-offs. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
