James, 6’3”, appeared in 18 Premier League games in his first four seasons with West Ham United but became a fixture in the Hammers’ central defence in 2009-10 after reaching the age of 20. In the previous season he had also featured in seven games on loan at Derby County in the Championship.
James had his first taste of international football when he picked up his first England U16 cap against Ivory Coast during the Montaigu Tournament in 2004, playing with Micah Richards and Theo Walcott. After working his way up through the age levels he made his Under-21 debut in a friendly against Azerbaijan at Milton Keynes on 8 June 2009, England romping home 7-0, and in the same month made a further two appearances during the European Finals in Sweden.