Joe Cole has expressed his desire to see Reece James return to the England squad following the Chelsea star's impressive performance against Copenhagen on Thursday.
James, 25, scored the opening goal with a stunning right-footed thunderbolt in the 46th minute, which found the bottom left corner. Enzo Fernandez added a second goal, while Copenhagen's center-back Gabriel Pereira scored a consolation goal to make the final score 1-2.
Chelsea arrived as strong favorites at the Parken Stadium, despite making significant squad rotations. Manager Enzo Maresca appeared to give the club's youth an opportunity, with James—who captained the team—playing the full 90 minutes in an unfamiliar defensive midfielder position.
"He will have the respect of every player at Chelsea because of what he can do technically and physically," said Cole during the post-match analysis on TNT Sports. "When he was at his best, he was as good as anyone in the world, no doubt about that."
"It's just about him finding his inner peace and managing him into games. He can play in midfield; he did it when he was on loan at Wigan and got Player of the Year there as a young kid. He looks comfortable there."
"He's got so much to offer Chelsea and so much to offer England. It's great to see him impacting the game like he did tonight. Don't give up on Reece James because there is still a real, real world-class player in there who can be a massive player for Chelsea and England. Hopefully, he can keep going now."
Academy wonderkid Shumaira Mheuka made an appearance, becoming the Blues' youngest-ever player to start in a European match. He was accompanied by Tyrique George in a heavily rotated squad ahead of Chelsea's clash with Leicester City on Sunday.
However, Captain James appears to have overcome his physical issues, having completed two 90-minute matches in the past two weeks following a recent loss to Aston Villa.
"It's a big step in the right direction," James said. "This is a tough place to come; the atmosphere is amazing, and they set up well."
"It's always frustrating to concede late on—we wanted to keep a clean sheet tonight—but we got the win. It's always good to score and help the team. It will be another huge game next week because we really want to advance and win this competition."
James' last appearance for the national team came in March 2023 against Italy, as the 25-year-old has been struggling with injuries since then.
Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel is weighing up his England squad selection ahead of friendly games with Albania and Latvia on March 21 and 24, respectively. It is understood that the German specialist has drawn up a 55-man longlist ahead of his announcement, which includes Arsenal wonderkids Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.
Following James' impressive display in midfield, Enzo Maresca was full of praise for the Englishman. "He is in a very good mood. He played very well against Aston Villa and again tonight. We know how important he is for us. He is our captain, a fantastic player, but we all know the most important thing for Reece is that we need him fit."
"It is our duty and our target to keep him fit until the end because for sure, he is going to help us. Tonight, again, he played very well and scored a goal. He can play in many positions because good players can play in many positions."
"At this moment, we are using him as a midfielder, and he is doing very well. When I signed with Chelsea, probably the day after, I sent him a video about seeing him as a midfielder."
"He is playing there now, but the good thing is he played this year already as a full-back, as a centre-back, and in central midfield. The main target for us is to help him be fit all season."
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