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Will James be England's heartbeat in Euros opener?
The Independent
|July 01, 2025
As England's players packed up their belongings and said their goodbyes to friends and family at Leicester's King Power Stadium, Sarina Wiegman and her coaching staff started to consider the biggest question that remains ahead of England's opening game at Euro 2025.
After a sparkling 30-minute cameo against Jamaica in their send-off, just what part will Lauren James play against France on Saturday?
The biggest relief, first of all, is that James is fit enough to feature: after recovering from a hamstring injury that saw her miss the end of the club season at Chelsea, the forward has been able to take part in every England training session over the past two weeks without any issues. James received her first minutes since the end of March off the bench against Jamaica, and immediately looked at ease, gliding on the ball as if she hadn’t missed a beat. Wiegman, however, said that James is still building her fitness towards the France game.
This story is from the July 01, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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