Chelsea’s captain, Reece James, has been confirmed to have suffered a hamstring injury in their 2-0 defeat to Everton, adding to his history of setbacks.
The club’s statement on Tuesday confirmed the injury after scans were carried out on the defender on Monday. According to the club, James will begin his rehabilitation at Cobham as soon as possible.
“Captain Reece James has undergone medical assessment following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Everton.” A statement read in parts.
“The defender was withdrawn during the first half at Goodison Park and scan results have confirmed a hamstring injury. Reece will now begin his rehabilitation programme at Cobham.”
This comes as another blow for the right-back, who has been plagued by injuries, making only eight Premier League appearances this season and featuring in 24 games since the start of the 2022/23 season.
This recent setback follows a previous hamstring injury earlier in the season in Chelsea’s 1-all draw with Liverpool, causing him to miss upto eight league matches.
He is now set to be out until March 2024 according to multiple realiable sources in England.
Chelsea now faces a growing list of absentees, with several key players, including Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Trevor Chalobah, Malo Gusto, and Carney Chukwuemeka, sidelined.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and left-back Marc Cucurella also left the Everton match with knee and ankle issues, respectively, compounding the team’s challenges as they currently sit 12th in the Premier League table with only 19 points.
In James’ absence, another Cobham product Conor Gallagher is expected to the lead out for the next several months until the two full-backs are back into action.
The Mauricio Pochettino’s side will host Sheffield United in their next Premier League game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
