Rachel Daly described Lauren James as “lethal” following her game-winning performance against China, labelling the England attacker “cheat code” because of the ability she has.
Having started on the left against Denmark, against whom she scored a world class winner, James was moved centrally into the ‘number 10’ role as Ella Toone dropped to the bench for England’s third and final Women’s World Cup group game against China.
That switch in Sarina Wiegman’s new formation not only freed the two strikers for the Lionesses, but also gave space for James to score a stunning brace – it might have even been a hat-trick but for an unfortunate and controversial offside decision. As it was, the 21-year-old superstar in the making still had a direct involvement in five of England’s six goals on the day.
“I mean, you put LJ anywhere on the pitch, and she’ll get the ball because players want to play with her,” Daly said, speaking after the final whistle in Adelaide.
“I personally love linking up with her; she’s a great player; I can’t speak highly enough of her. But she caused a real problem throughout the whole game, to be honest. She is a nightmare for defenders to defend as the ball just sticks to her, she’s lethal.
“Cheat code, as everyone calls her, that’s what she is.”
While speaking, Daly lost concentration, her adoration for James seeping through as she stopped mid-answer to a following question to watch the nearby screen replaying James’ stunning first goal. “Sorry, I just want to watch LJ’s goal again,” she said, pausing to take in the action and displaying her utter belief and pride for the youngster.
Continuing, Daly revealed a heartwarming moment before the game where her belief in James came to the forefront, predicting that she would be the player of the match.
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“Last night, we were walking round the pitch, and we have come out of here, and there’s the Player of the Match sign as you walk out,” the Aston Villa star recalled. “I said: ‘Have a look at that kid because that will be you tomorrow night’. That’s how much we back her!”
“She is unbelievable. I have got no more words to say about her. She is growing and growing, and the most important thing is we keep around her. She is a young player at the end of the day, and she’s learning every day. She can pick up little bits from the older players, but she is LJ – and she’s brilliant.
However, the spectacular three goals James has registered so far in the tournament are no surprise to the senior Aston Villa striker. The 21-year-old scored the only goal in England’s 1-0 win over Denmark and scored twice to seal England’s place at the top of Group D during their thrashing of China 6-1.
The Lionesses so far have had nothing but praise for the youngster since her breakout into the senior team, yet Daly’s sheer faith in James is poised by the fact the 23-player squad see their net the spectacular finished time and time again in training, believing it was only a matter of time before she pulled them out on the world’s biggest stage.
“She has got great technical ability, but those [goals] come out in training all the time. It’s nothing new for us,” she said. “It’s just nice for the rest of the world to see how good she is.”
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