Lionesses star Lauren James had to withdraw from Chelsea's starting XI ahead of the Champions League group stage clash with Twente on Thursday night.
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James was named in Chelsea XI vs TwenteBut had to withdraw just before kick-offEngland boss Wiegman in the standsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The England forward was initially named in the Blues' line-up for their second match of the competition but she was ultimately unable to make her fourth start of the 2024-25 season, replaced on the right wing by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
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Chelsea did not give reason for James' withdrawal from the team. She has had some struggles with a foot injury in recent months, while an illness that affected a few players forced Hannah Hampton to pull out of the starting XI against Real Madrid last week. However, it remains unclear just what prompted James' absence on this occasion.
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Sarina Wiegman was in attendance for Thursday's match in her native Netherlands but with James missing and most of Chelsea's available Lionesses on the bench, young forward Aggie Beever-Jones got her national team coach's undivided attention for the majority of the game as the only English starter. She took that opportunity to shine too, breaking the deadlock after only seven minutes.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JAMES AND CHELSEA?
While Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor will hope James' supposed injury is not serious enough to rule her out of Sunday's Women's Super League clash with Tottenham, England coach Wiegman will also hope that the young forward is still able to join up with the Lionesses for their October fixtures on Monday.