England boss Gareth Southgate confirmed that Reece James has left the England squad and returned to Chelsea after picking up an injury.

“Reece has gone back, he’s not completely happy with how his leg feels. He was a little bit concerned about that earlier in the week,” Southgate told reporters.

“I think, probably for him, the injury after the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup has made him a little more cautious at this moment in time. It probably needs some time.

“It is not unusual to have a serious injury and then smaller injuries on the back of that. With Reece, it is a case of building his resilience to load and him being comfortable with that. With him, the club tends to play a game and we are a bit more cautious on the next one.

“He is a really good player and he has got absolutely everything and could be anything he wants to be. This is a temporary thing and hopefully, he can overcome that pretty quickly.”