Back from injury just in time for EURO 2025, Lauren James has already shone in England's first three group matches. The young Chelsea forward is expected to be another of the Lionesses' star performers against Sweden in the quarter-finals.
After a surprise start against France in the holders' first group game, Lauren James followed up with a brace against the Netherlands and a masterclass against Wales in a 6-1 victory to take England through to the quarter-finals.
However, the Chelsea forward had only just returned from a thigh injury, which she had been nursing since early April.
"She trained with us at Chelsea throughout June," says Camille Abily, assistant coach to Sonia Bompastor at the London club.
"She didn't have much holiday, and her preparation started earlier than the others to try and be as fit as possible."
The Chelsea staff "didn't necessarily expect her to start and play 60 minutes" against Les Bleues, but they did note that "she could have scored very quickly" with two early chances.
In England, Sarina Wiegman's decision to start her as soon as she recovered from injury was criticised. But Abily sees it as a sign of confidence on the part of the England staff, for a player who needs it.
"She's a very talented player, but she has a lot of self-doubt. That may not show when she's on the pitch, but she simply needs to have that relationship of trust with her coach," explained Sonia Bompastor in her interview with Flashscore at the end of February.
James' influence on matches
It was a confidence that she restored four days later to Sarina Wiegman, after being switched from midfield to right wing following the rout of the French national team.
There she rediscovered all her ability to play one-on-one, to break forward and to serve her team-mates at the right tempo.
"Her release makes her game very fluid," noted the England coach at the final whistle.
Lucy Bronze, who is also her team-mate at Chelsea, is a fan: "We know that all you have to do is give the ball to 'LJ' in dangerous positions, and a goal can come from anywhere. She's probably the best (...) when it comes to creating something special."
Such was the case in England's decisive second group game against the Netherlands, when the right attacker opened the scoring with a fine left-footed shot from the edge of the area, before repeating the trick with another left-footed effort after the Dutch defence had failed to deal with the ball.
"We see her do that all the time in training," said England striker Alessia Russo at the press conference, who is looking to "find Lauren James in those areas as much as possible".
"She's one of those players who can single-handedly change a match. She has the ability to eliminate, to score even in the middle of three opponents. She's very skilful in front of goal, she likes to shoot, whether it's right-footed or left-footed, she's capable of shooting from long range and scoring from distance at any time," adds Camille Abily, who jokingly asked her before the Euros "not to score against France."
"We've seen a very good Lauren James, but to be one of the best players in the world, you also have to increase your range."
Aiming for greater consistency
"Lauren is good at defending because physically, she's very impressive on her first touch. So she's hard to get past when she's really concerned," says her coach, echoed by Wiegman, who believes she "works really hard when she has to."
Abily is certain: "With a little more consistency, she could become one of the best players in the world.
"I've been around a lot of great players, but in terms of pure talent, Lauren is in the top three. She's capable of doing exceptional things," she adds.
After a season marked by injuries - she played just nine league games this season - the England number seven has another chance to show her worth against Sweden in the quarter-finals of EURO 2025.