The bad news keeps coming for Chelsea. Just when it looked like Reece James had put his injury problems behind him and was returning to his best, he is injured again. And the club captain looks set to be out for a while if reports coming out are accurate.
Earlier today, I had pointed out in an earlier report that James had started in and completed back-to-back games, against PSG and Newcastle United. That has rarely happened under the load management strategy followed by the club to ensure his fitness. Now we know why.
Playing James in back-to-back games has come at a cost. A heavy one. He is now set to be out of action for a while.
Extent of Reece James’ injury shared by journalist
When talking about the nature and extent of the injury, Liam Rosenior had said (via BBC): “With a hamstring injury, it is never great and for Reece we can hopefully get him scanned, find out the full extent and then we will know more because we know how important he is and what a leader he is in the group.
“He felt something in his hamstring at the end of the game against Newcastle. It’s really frustrating and a disappointing one for us. We don’t know the full extent for us but it rules him out for tomorrow.”
Well, now we have an update on the extent of the injury. And it is not good news if you are a Chelsea fan. According to Fabrice Hawkins, James’s unavailability is estimated at two months following this new hamstring tear. The club captain has a slim hope of playing again with the Blues at the very end of the season. He is confirmed to be out for the upcoming match against PSG.
James’ injury is both a short and long-term blow for Chelsea
Whatever can go wrong, seems to be going wrong for Chelsea at the moment. James’ injury is a setback not just in the short-term, but in the long-term as well. It goes to show that he has not exactly put those fitness issues behind him and they can come back to haunt him at any time. It also comes days after he signed a six-year extension with the Blues.
James’ injury might spell the end of any hope that Chelsea might have had of finishing in the Champions League qualification spots this season. Not only are Rosenior’s side completely out of form heading into this important run of games, but they are now also without their captain. This is the last thing that they needed.
At this time, everybody would at Read Chelsea would like to wish James the best of luck in his recovery. We hope that he comes back stronger and as soon as possible. Best wishes, Reece.
