James Raises England's Concerns Ahead of Norway Clash in World Cup Quarter-Finals

England's national team has received another blow ahead of their World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Norway, as right-back Reece James missed group training again on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, raising doubts about his fitness for the match scheduled for Saturday in Miami.

James sustained the injury during the group stage match against Ghana and has been absent from the team's games since, including the victory over Mexico in the Round of 16. Although he aimed to return for the quarter-finals, he has only been following an individual training program away from the group, while coach Thomas Tuchel faces an additional crisis at right-back after Jarrel Kwanza was suspended following his red card against Mexico. Declan Rice and Marc Guéhi also trained individually, but the coaching staff is not overly concerned about their participation.

Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson has returned to the squad after undergoing surgery for a broken arm sustained against Mexico, in order to support his teammates, although his chances of playing again in the tournament seem slim. His teammate Morgan Rogers praised the spirit of the team captain, stating that his presence represents the "heartbeat of the group" and that the players have not completely ruled out his return.

Rogers also confirmed that the stability at the team's base in Kansas City has given the players a sense of being at home, noting that this has contributed to creating an ideal atmosphere for preparing for matches, before issuing a warning to Norway, emphasizing that Jude Bellingham is still capable of delivering even better performances, and that "there are no limits to what he can achieve" during the tournament.