Gareth Southgate has revealed that he had wanted to select Reece James in his latest England squad, only for the Chelsea defender to turn down the opportunity.
On Thursday, Southgate announced his selection for the concluding Euro 2024 qualifiers with Malta and North Macedonia, with the Three Lions having already secured their place at next summer's finals.
There were few surprises among the latest crop, aside from several notable omissions, but little was made of James not being selected by Southgate.
The Chelsea captain has endured another injury-hit campaign, being restricted to three starts and two substitute outings in all competitions.
James has been significant progress in recent weeks, his game time being stepped up to a point where he could come through 77 minutes of Monday's 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
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As it stands, the expectation is that the 23-year-old will start against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday in the final fixture before the next international break.
However, Southgate has acknowledged that he had been hoping to take a closer look at James during that period, only for the player to indicate that he felt that the break in action was an opportunity to rest and recuperate after barely playing since April.
Southgate said, as quoted by the Daily Mail: "I was hoping to call up Reece James but he doesn't feel he's quite ready.
"I understand that, he's had a long path back from a number of injuries. He's probably a bit cautious in that respect, but I can understand why.
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"There is (a lot of talent ahead of James) and that's the risk. He's only got one more squad before the Euros. So he knows that. We've got belief in what he can do.
"We did discuss (reporting for duty to attend team meetings) and he was very keen to make clear, "Look I don't want you to think I don't want to be there".
"We had a really good long conversation and exchange of messages after that as well. But I'm very understanding. His injury record, you can see the number of matches and the different phases (he has missed). So we are all conscious that we want to have a fit Reece that can play consecutive games."
James has only made one appearance for England in over a year, that coming as a late substitute during the 2-1 victory over Italy in March.
