‘Reece’s advice is to just enjoy it’ says Lauren James as Lioness ace aims to make her mark in Women’s World Cup
LAUREN JAMES wants to etch her name into football history aside from being known as the talented sister of Three Lions ace Reece.
The forward, 21, hopes to do so by helping the Lionesses win this year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Last September the Chelsea ace earned her first senior cap coming on as a substitute in the Lionesses’ 2-0 World Cup qualifier defeat of Austria.
In doing so she joined her sibling in becoming a full England international.
The pair are the only brother-sister duo to play for the same top-flight English club at the same time in the men’s and women’s sport.
On making a name for herself in the game, James said: “I want to carve that out and be known as ‘this is Lauren James’.
“At the moment, men’s football is a lot bigger profile, it’s natural to just go, ‘oh that’s so and so’s sister’ but I think it’s just natural.
“But it doesn’t bother me too much because I know I have my own career.”
This month James is set to make her Women’s World Cup debut with the Euros champs facing Haiti, Denmark, and China in Group D
A July 22 clash with Haiti, the tournament’s fourth lowest-ranked side, is up first for Sarina Wiegman’s aces.
The arrived at their Sunshine Coast base in Australia earlier today – seven days ahead of their behind-closed-doors clash with Canada.
On if there would be any rivalry with her older brother should she win the contest, James added: “To be fair I think he’d just be proud. We’d just like best friends.
“His advice was just enjoy it, have fun, try and score goals.”
In the past year James has seen her career blossom for club and country under the stewardship of two serial-winning gaffers.
She credits Wiegman for allowing her to express herself on the pitch.
And she hails Emma Hayes for helping her find her feet after arriving at Chelsea two years ago with some injury issues
James added: “Emma managed me well, and it’s allowed me to find my feet again. I’d had two years of constant injuries.
“At that moment everyone was like ‘why is Lauren not playing?’
“I wanted to be playing on the pitch, but in the long run it’s obviously paid off, and it’s kept me on the pitch this season.”
“Sarina has been brilliant with me (too), she’s just allowed me to express myself, and not tried to change me, which plays a massive role because it allows you to just play freely.”
This past term has seen James help Chelsea win third successive league and FA Cup double.
And James hopes to follow that triumph by winning football’s biggest prize of all.
She said: going to the (Euros) final last summer made me feel like, ‘I want to make sure I’m there’ this summer.
“It gave me more motivation and hunger. I’d like to feel the same as what they felt last summer.”