Ashley Cole and Roy Keane both think Reece James should be England's starting right-back at the upcoming European Championship.
Gareth Southgate shocked plenty of people when he selected four right-backs in his 26-man squad for the Euros, with James being one of them.
Another was Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, but after suffering a thigh injury during the recent 1-0 win over Austria, he has been ruled out for six weeks, meaning he will now miss the tournament.
This leaves James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker as options for Southgate at right-back ahead of next Sunday's opening game versus Croatia.
James enjoyed a fantastic 2020/21 campaign, which was summed up by his superb display in the Champions League final towards the end of May.
Now, when speaking about the Chelsea defender, both Cole and Keane said he should be the one on the right side of the Three Lions' defence.
However, both were not sure on Ben Chilwell's place in the team after Luke Shaw's fantastic campaign for Manchester United.
“Now Trent [Alexander-Arnold] is out, I think Reece James should start right back or full back depending on what Gareth [Southgate] is doing formation wise. It is difficult because Luke Shaw has had a great season," Cole said on ITV.
"But Ben Chilwell showed in the Champions League final the quality he possesses and he stepped up to playing in the big occasion."
Keane then added: “I think it would have to be [Luke] Shaw, I think consistently this year he has been outstanding, going forward like modern full-backs, and defensively no one has really got the better of him, obviously Chilwell has been outstanding.
"I can't argue with James, who has been outstanding over the last six months."
Chelsea trio James, Chilwell and Mason Mount were all not involved in England's two warm-up matches against Austria and Romania due to the short turnaround between the Champions League final and the friendly fixtures.
