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Graham Potter reveals Reece James’ coping mechanisms after missing the World Cup.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter has disclosed that Reece James is in a ‘good place’ and ‘training well’ after coming to terms with the personal blow of missing the World Cup due to injury.
James suffered a knee injury in October and was devastated to learn he wouldn’t be able to travel to Qatar the following month. He spoke of his disappointment at the time.
The 23-year-old, who was a member of the team at Euro 2020, was expected to have a significant impact for England at the World Cup after becoming a regular starter in the months prior.
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Since then, James has fully recovered, and his club management is impressed with how he is handling himself both physically and emotionally since the focus has returned to the Premier League.
“I have to say he is in a good mood, he is in a good place,” Potter said of James.
“He has trained with us, is training well and is a good team-mate. He has dealt with it well. There is not too much you can say. You say it will get better with time and you have to focus on the things you can control. But there is nothing you can say to a player that will make it get better.
“All I can do is acknowledge that it is upsetting, that whatever he is feeling is normal and help him move forwards. It was a challenging period for him. It was a challenging period for all the players [who missed the World Cup]. They’re only human.”
James was not the only Chelsea player who was forced to miss the World Cup; injuries also prevented N’Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell, and Wesley Fofana from participating in the tournament.