England forward Lauren James says she is keen to make a name for herself at this summer’s World Cup, rather than be known as “Reece James’ sister”.
The 21-year-old Chelsea star plays for the same club as her older brother, who is also an England international, and often hears her name linked with his.
“Even just ‘that’s Lauren James, that’s Reece’s sister’,” she said.
“But I want to carve out [my own name] and be known as ‘this is Lauren James’.”
James added: “At the moment, men’s football has a lot bigger profile and I’m sure there are times when I’ve said ‘oh, that’s so and so’s sister’, I think it’s just natural.
“But it doesn’t bother me too much because I know I have my own career.”
Having not been involved in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph, the World Cup, which starts on 20 July, will give James the chance to become the first member of her family to win a major international tournament – although she says there is not much sibling rivalry with her brother.
“To be fair I think he’d just be proud. We’re just like best friends,” she said.
“His advice was just to enjoy it [the World Cup], have fun, try and score goals.”
‘Wiegman lets me express myself’
James played a key role in Chelsea winning a third successive domestic double last season, earning her a place in the Lionesses squad.
She said missing out on Euro 2022 gave her extra determination to make sure she made it on to the plane to Australia.
“Watching it, going to the final last summer [as a fan], it obviously made me feel more like ‘I want to make sure I’m there’ this summer, and it gave me a bit more motivation and hunger,” she said.
“I’d like to feel the same as what they felt last summer.”
James played a starring role in England’s victory in the Arnold Clark Cup, an invitational tournament, where she scored her first international goal and she says she is enjoying playing under manager Sarina Wiegman.
“She’s been brilliant with me, she’s just allowed me to express myself and not tried to change me, which obviously plays a massive role because it allows you to just play freely and have confidence,” she said.
“I’m just someone who always wants to just play football so I try not to let the external noise get to me, I like to stay grounded.”
The former Manchester United player says she is relishing learning from the experienced players in the squad, such as Barcelona defender Lucy Bronze.
“I just like to keep learning and [listen to] what advice [Lucy] has and the other experienced players [too] – how she conducts herself, within training and within games,” said James.
