FAMILY AFFAIR

Reece James and sister Lauren now shining on big stage

THIS MUST have been the week t he James family had always imagined. The one envisaged over excited chatter at the dinner table, played out on that worn patch of grass at the back of their house.

These were the moments for which brother and sister Reece and Lauren spent night after night in the garden with their father Nigel, a former professional turned coach, developing and honing their skills from as young as four so that, one day, he might see his children perform on the biggest stage. Well, it was all worth it. Reece has been at Chelsea since he was six. He was nine when John Terry handed him a good-luck message with a shirt that still hangs framed above his bed. A decade later, the 19- year- old right back made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup against Grimsby. He scored and set up two in a 7-1 win.

And if Grimsby were not glamourous enough, on Wednesday he started in the Champions League against Lille. Another fine display, another win. He’s not even made his Premier League debut yet.

In between, it was Lauren’s turn. She scored Manchester United’s first- ever goal in the Women’s Super League to kick-start a win over Liverpool.

Reece was training at the time and didn’t see the goal until he got a notification on his phone. ‘Someone had tagged me in a video of it,’ he says. ‘It was a good goal, a really good finish! She’s doing really well. I hope she can keep it up.’

Lauren is a year younger than Reece and the youngest player in the United squad. She was previously at Arsenal, where she was the second- youngest player i n the club’s history. Not that she’s fazed by it. Far from it. She’s used to it by now, punching up, competing with players older than her. She’s done it all her life.

‘We all used to play day in day out,’ says Reece. ‘We have an older brother, Joshua. I learned a lot off him and then Lauren learned off me. When she saw me and Joshua playing she wanted to as well.’

And so she did. But there was no chance the boys were going to take it easy on her. ‘When she was a bit younger, I always came out on top. I never let her win,’ says Reece. ‘I think it toughened her up. If you’re not used to winning and playing with older players, this was only going to help.’

Nigel wouldn’t have had it any other way either, a self-professed ‘Rottweiler’ of a coach and father. ‘He’s helped me a lot of the way and still helps me now,’ adds Reece who is the latest of the new, exciting breed of young Englishmen coming through under Frank Lampard.

‘It’s fantastic. It shows how good the academy is,’ says Reece. ‘I’ve known Mason [Mount] since he was nine. It’s great now playing with him in a Champions League game. It’s a dream come true. Frank helps a lot. He wants as many young players as possible to play.’ It was Reece who was the leader back in the day, captaining Chelsea to the FA Youth Cup in 2017. Yet he is the one who has had to wait his turn, going out on loan to Wigan last season. By the end, he had helped keep them up, was the players’ and fans’ player of the year and was named in the Championship team of the season.

‘It was a great experience playing in the Championship but being in the Champions League, the level is a lot different. I’m just grateful for the chance,’ he said.

Only he wasn’t sure that chance would come. He suffered ankle ligament damage in June and had to watch others get opportunities while he sat on the sidelines.

‘It was a slow process. I wanted to get back as soon as possible but it took longer than expected,’ he says. ‘ I’m very grateful that I’m now back fit and competing to play.’

And after such an incredible week for the family, will there be much time for celebrations?

‘I don’t think so. We’ve got another big game on the weekend [Southampton today] and we just have to start preparing for that.’

Just how his dad would have taught him.