Lionesses starlet James can be a perfect 10 Down Under

England legends Faye White and Rachel Yankey have talked up the prospect of Lauren James featuring as a No10 at the Women's World Cup.

Chelsea starlet James, 21, is poised to make her major international tournament bow this summer after being named Sarina Wiegman's 23-player squad for the Australia and New Zealand showpiece.

The Lionesses faced Portugal last Saturday prior to heading Down Under, with James a second-half substitute in the goalless draw.

But instead of playing on the right of attack, where she regularly features for Chelsea, the youngster caught the eye in an advanced midfield role. 

And White, who captained the Lionesses at both the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, is excited by the prospect of the Blues forward playing centrally this summer.

White, 45, exclusively told LiveScore: "Her [Wiegman's] way is that she has a set team and she sticks with it. 

"But I saw the game on Saturday where she started with Ella Toone as No10 and Lauren James then came in. That was exciting.

"I've seen her a lot for Chelsea but she obviously plays on the wing for them.

"She's a young player so I wondered whether Sarina would leave her out on the wing in her more comfortable position. 

"She moved her inside and every time James got the ball she turned and moved forward and that was great to see."

Meanwhile, former forward Yankey believes the fact James remains relatively unknown on the international stage could make her England's secret weapon.

The 129-cap international said: "There's a fearlessness. She'll want to go and express herself and that's a bonus for England compared to last year.

"Also, other nations are not going to know as much about Lauren James and what she can do because she's relatively unknown on the international stage."

After winning the European Championship last summer largely with an unchanged XI, injuries and new players emerging means Wiegman faces selection dilemmas in multiple positions.

White believes the increase in competition for places can only be a good thing as the Dutch coach looks to deliver England's first ever World Cup title.

She added: "There are different options and it could be a little bit different because there's competition in a few positions now.

"You can now freshen it up in a few areas. A big thing to understand as players is that sometimes it's not the best XI that's picked, it's what's best to face that team. 

"Sarina will explain to each player what their role is so they can come in and do the job for the team."

KIND Snacks created a GIANT message of support for the Lionesses as they headed off to Australia. The 100m wide sign was made out of thousands of messages of support from the public, including ex-Lionesses Rachel Yankey and Faye White.