Former Lionesses hail 'little magician' James after Jamaica cameo
Lauren James made her return from injury against Jamaica and had an impact as she registered an assist eight minutes after her introduction.
Former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley hailed Lauren James as a "little magician" after her impressive cameo in England's thrashing of Jamaica on Sunday.
England's Euro 2025 send-off saw them storm to a 7-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, with James making her first appearance for club or country since April after coming off the bench.
She came on in the 63rd minute as she continues to build her fitness ahead of England's Euros title defence, and she set up Alessia Russo's goal eight minutes after her introduction.
James created four chances overall, with only Beth Mead, who played the full 90 minutes, setting up more (six).
The 23-year-old is expected to be a key player in Switzerland, having been a standout in her first major tournament at the 2023 World Cup, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
"It's hard not to get excited [about James]," Bardsley told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I think she needs to be managed in the right way, and giving her some time, a glimpse of what she can offer this Lionesses midfield and attack is really exciting. It's mouth-watering stuff.
"For me, she's a little magician in midfield. Her natural movement, the unpredictability and shooting ability that she has. She looks like she's going about her own business in the midfield.
"For me, it's the nonchalance. She picked up some great areas, gets on the ball, takes a shot, and it just looks so easy for her."
Meanwhile, Karen Carney, who enjoyed a 14-year career with the Lionesses, said on ITV: "She can do things I've never seen any player since Kelly Smith do. She's Ballon d'Or."
Sarina Wiegman has said she will be careful with managing James' game time as she works her way back up after three months out.
England are in a strong position with their forwards, but Wiegman noted that James' versatility is a useful asset.
"We're still building her," Wiegman said. "She's worked so hard to be here where she is now. At Chelsea first, but then the last two weeks in training camps, she could do every single training session and did very well.
"Now, this is the first time she could get minutes, and we hope next week we can keep building her going into France.
"We know we have some players who can play in different positions. LJ has played a lot upfront; she can also play on the sides. She can also play as a 10.
"That's what I wanted to see [against Jamaica] in that 10 position and see how that works. I think it went really well."
