Reece James admits the road from Chelsea youth academy player to England appearance maker has been 'tough' ahead of the European Championships this summer.
The 21-year-old full-back has undergone a remarkable rise over the past two years, as the Three Lions full-back was playing at Wigan Athletic in the bottom half of the Championship just two years ago.
But James is now in contention to start England's opening Euro 2020 group match against Croatia on Sunday and claims he is grateful he is at a major tournament with England having seen loan spells and ankle injuries damage the journey to that point.