Reece James is one in a growing list of talented players that picked up injuries in the build-up to this year's FIFA World Cup.
The Englishman suffered an unfortunate knee injury during Chelsea's UEFA Champions League clash with AC Milan and, prior to undergoing scans, many already predicted his absence from Qatar 2022.
An official statement from his Premier League club came a while later, confirming that he would not return in time for the tournament, which kicks off on November 21 for the Three Lions with their clash vs. Iran.
Nonetheless, James embarked on a campaign to recover and had not given up on representing his country. However, the final dagger to the heart arrived after the player had a conversation with national team boss Gareth Southgate.
According to the Daily Mail, Southgate personally reached out to the Stamford Bridge sensation and has now drawn up his final 26-man squad for Qatar 2022. Given that James has only just started running, Gareth made the tough decision to leave the 22-year-old right-back out of his team.
The player believed he could have returned in time for the latter stages of the tournament, should England get that far. However, Southgate made the devastating decision to omit one of their best defenders.
Shortly after this broke, James took to social media to confirm the story himself. The Chelsea sensation began his statement with the word "devasted", later going on to explain the hard work he committed in order to recover for the FIFA World Cup before reiterating his belief that he could have helped the England national team.
"The minute I injured my knee, I knew the turn around to make the World Cup would be tight, but I always felt it was possible," Reece wrote in a heartfelt message to his followers.
"I've worked harder than I ever thought I could to give myself the best chance of going and truly believed I could help the team.
"I appreciate there was risk on both sides but it was one I was willing to take. Good luck to the boys. I'll be back soon.
"Stay safe and sending love."
— Reece James (@ReeceJames) November 9, 2022
Reece James isn't the only English player in this kind of situation as Manchester City ace Kyle Walker also picked up a worrisome injury. However, the 32-year-old has made a miraculous recovery from his groin issue. Kalvin Phillips, meanwhile, is back to fitness and could feature for the Cityzens in their Carabao Cup showdown with Chelsea. However, the former Leeds midfielder has barely played so far this season.
