O’Reilly has been promoted from the England Under-21 squad and will now be part of the senior setup for the upcoming fixtures against Wales on Thursday and Latvia on October 14.
The 20-year-old has made just 10 Premier League starts but is now in contention for a first senior cap, having earned the trust of Pep Guardiola for his club.
Although primarily a left-back for City, O’Reilly joins a squad short on right-sided defenders, with Djed Spence now the only recognised right-back available to Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.
A product of Manchester City’s academy, O’Reilly has been with the club since the age of eight. He made 21 appearances and scored five goals last season as he broke into the first team.
At international level, the versatile player – who still considers himself a midfielder – has earned caps from U15s through to the U20s, and he recently extended his City contract until 2030.
O’Reilly was also part of Guardiola’s squad at the Club World Cup over the summer and has featured nine times for City so far this season.
Tuchel has previously spoken during his England reign about the importance of physicality and powerful running in the Premier League – qualities that O’Reilly brings to the table.
At a press conference last March, he said: “The Premier League is a very physically demanding league, is a very direct league, and I think we should be brave enough to play like an England squad and should not try to copy other nations’ styles too much.
“I think it should reflect the values of the country and of the strongest league in the world, which is the Premier League. I think we need to increase the rhythm and intensity of our game compared to our last matches.”
James was entrusted to bring these qualities, having been brought back into the fold by Tuchel, but this represents another setback after the Chelsea captain had made a bright start to the season under Enzo Maresca, who will hope the injury is minor and can heal over the international break.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/09/27/image-02a6cf13-6dcb-4ec7-b8a0-bc5e899183fd-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Reece James had made a fine start to the season for Chelsea
Image credit: Getty Images
Previously, the 25-year-old has had to overcome multiple hamstring issues, as well as ankle and knee problems dating back to 2019.
The full-back joins a growing list of defensive absentees at Stamford Bridge.
Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile were forced off during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Liverpool – a game Tuchel attended – joining Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, and Levi Colwill on the sidelines.
England are in a strong position to qualify for next summer’s World Cup, currently sitting top of their group with five wins from five, while Latvia are fourth with four points from their campaign so far.
England squad to face Wales and Latvia
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford
Defenders: And Burn, Marc Guehi, Nico O'reilly, Ezri Posa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins.
