00:00Serena Weichmann has left the door open for Lauren James to make England's Euro 2025 squad,
00:08even if the Chelsea forward is racing to prove her fitness in time.
00:12James picked up a hamstring injury during England's April clash with Belgium.
00:17No time frame was placed on her recovery and she was left out of the Lionesses' National League squad
00:23for upcoming games against Portugal on May 30th and Spain on June 3rd.
00:30While England have been boosted by the returns of Georgia Stanway, Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp from injury,
00:35there is less clarity on James' condition.
00:39England's final match before Euro 2025 begins is against Jamaica on the 29th of June.
00:45That could be James' last opportunity to show she's fit enough to make the tournament squad.
00:52Weichmann confirmed James is still in contention but her inclusion could come down to the wire.
00:57The 23-year-old has had a mixed run with injuries but remains a key player.
01:02She scored three goals and registered three assists at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
01:08And ready to go into it.
01:10And then again, these three things are important.
01:12She needs to be healthy.
01:13She needs to be able to train and recover from training.
01:17And then you can build a bit.
01:18And of course, we also know finding balance in your squad.
01:22You can't bring in three, four players who are in that stage.
01:25But probably one player that has been doing really well, that could be an opportunity.
01:32England opened their title defence against France in Zurich on July 5th with Weichmann expected to name her final 23 players shortly after the June international break.
01:42The England manager played down concerns over players' club commitments, particularly those involved in the Champions League final at the end of May.
01:53Arsenal players are set to feature in that match, while others from Manchester United and Manchester City could take part in the new World Sevens tournament, which carries a prize pot of £3 million.
02:05Weichmann insisted these extra fixtures would not impact selection decisions.
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