The Chelsea captain is one of two Blues in the Three Lions squad at this World Cup, alongside fellow defender and Academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah, who was a late call-up by head coach Thomas Tuchel to replace the injured Tino Livramento – himself another product of Cobham.

For James, this is his second major tournament with the senior England team, having also been part of the squad for the UEFA European Championship held in 2021. But whereas England played six of their seven matches at those Euros on home soil at Wembley, this World Cup is a very different prospect, with games hosted across the USA, Canada and Mexico.

With the competition also being played over a longer timeframe after being expanded to 48 teams, that means plenty of time away across the Atlantic for the players representing their nations.

‘There’s lots of activities and down-time, stuff you can do when you’re out, just to try to refresh and stay motivated for such a long period away,’ explained James.

However, one thing certain to keep the motivation sky high for Reece and his England team-mates, and indeed the players from every country, is the incredible support from the fans seen across North America at this World Cup.

‘The support is huge,’ added the Blues skipper. ‘Sometimes that plays as the 12th man in difficult games. The support means everything to the players. Families and friends travelling all over the world to watch their loved ones play.’

James and England are next in action tonight when the Three Lions face Ghana at 9pm UK time in Boston, looking to build on the impressive 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening match of Group L.