Reece James returns from injury and relishes England's World Cup semi-final against Argentina

Reece James has declared himself ready to help England reach the World Cup final after making his return from a hamstring strain as a substitute in their quarter-final victory over Norway in Miami.

The Chelsea captain, 26, missed three successive group-stage wins over Panama, DR Congo and Mexico while managing the injury, but is now focused on tomorrow’s semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta — a fixture he described in terms that leave little doubt about its weight.

“This is what dreams are made of,” James said. “Everyone as a little boy dreamt of playing and winning a World Cup. We’re against one of the best nations in the semi-final.”

James admitted the scale of what Thomas Tuchel’s squad has already achieved is difficult to absorb while still in the tournament. He didn’t even have time to fully take in Jude Bellingham’s extra-time winner in Florida before attention turned to the next assignment. “We’re in a bubble, trying to complete our mission,” he said. “It’s hard to see the outside. We’re happy we’re making everyone at home proud.”

England have a historically solid record against Argentina, losing just three of their 14 previous meetings, but James is wary of the occasion overwhelming the task. “The higher stakes the game is, usually the more pressure,” he said. “We’ve been doing it for 20 years — the fundamentals are the same but the prize is slightly different.”

It has been 60 years since England lifted their only World Cup, though both the men’s and women’s sides have reached the semi-finals in nine of the past ten international tournaments — a run James partly attributes to the strength of the Premier League. “It’s the best league in the world for me and I’m sure many fans,” he said. “A lot of the good quality players are English. It shows how much and how far English football has come in recent years.”

Having featured from both central midfield and right-back during the tournament, James is confident he can contribute wherever Tuchel needs him. “Picking up an injury at a tournament is always a race against the clock,” he said. “I applied myself and am happy to be back out there.”