Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has indicated that it was the decision of Chelsea's medical staff to prevent Reece James from linking up with the England squad.
On Thursday, James was a notable absentee from the group of players that were selected by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers with Malta and North Macedonia.
The Chelsea captain has recently returned from a hamstring injury to make two starts and two substitute outings for the Blues in all competitions.
However, Southgate revealed that he had spoken to James about his situation, hinting that the 23-year-old did not want to push himself too hard after barely playing any competitive football since April.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture with Manchester City, Pochettino was naturally quizzed on the decision, the Argentine insisting that James would have represented the Three Lions had he been advised that it was beneficial by the club's medical team.
Pochettino told reporters: "I think it is never the decision of the player. The medical staff, sport science and coaching staff, we always take decisions, not the player, because the player cannot assess himself.
"They can sometimes feel something, but he was desperate to go with the national team. I think it is good that the national team can communicate with club to take the best decision for the player. It was not a decision of Reece.
"He was desperate to go, he wanted to go, but I think that there is always two parts. After all his problems and now he is starting to feel fit again, I am happy that he is going to be with us because it is two weeks to work with him again."
James has only made one brief appearance for England in more than a year, with that outing coming as a substitute in a 2-1 win away in Italy back in March.
In his recent comments, Southgate warned that James faced fierce competition to retain his place in the squad, not helped by there being just one more international break before next summer's European Championship.
As it stands, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are regarded as the first-choice options at right-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold effectively backup despite being selected as a midfielder by Southgate.
James is expected to start for the third successive Chelsea match when they play host to Premier League champions Man City at the weekend.
He came through 77 minutes during the 4-1 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night, building on the hour that he had previously played versus Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup. body check tags ::
