Chelsea’s Reece James suffers another hamstring injury

Chelsea captain Reece James has sustained another hamstring injury during training, as confirmed by Blues manager Enzo Maresca. This marks a further setback for James, who has a history of hamstring issues and underwent surgery last year in an attempt to resolve the underlying problem. The 24-year-old player had missed a significant portion of the previous season following hamstring surgery, which was intended to address his recurring injury problems. He had only recently returned to play last month. Manager Maresca minimized worries regarding an extended absence for James, though he confirmed the player would be unavailable for Saturday’s game against Leicester. Maresca stated: “We have just one injured player and that’s Reece [James] who unfortunately felt something small in training two days ago and we don’t want to take a risk for the weekend.” He further elaborated, “It’s a hamstring, muscular problem. We will see, we don’t know for how long, for sure [we want him fit for longer]. At the moment it is not happening but we hope it will happen soon.” Maresca added, “He is out this weekend but hopefully he can be back soon. It’s probably difficult that he can be available for the Conference League [next Thursday], but hopefully soon.” Meanwhile, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, and Romeo Lavia are all fit for selection, despite having withdrawn from international commitments last week. However, there is a degree of caution concerning Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. Maresca noted that his starting lineup would “not be at 100%”, particularly as players returning from international duty in South America would have participated in only one training session on Friday prior to the upcoming match. According to data from Transfermarkt, this marks James’s eighth hamstring injury within a four-year period. Additionally, he has experienced approximately six other injuries affecting his knee, thigh, and ankle, alongside a period of absence due to illness. When he returned to play against Liverpool in October, 562 days had passed since James last completed a full 90 minutes in the Premier League. His subsequent game, a week later at home against Newcastle, represented his first full match completion in more than a year. Since his integration into Chelsea’s senior squad during the 2019-20 season, James’s longest consecutive run of matches played was six, achieved in May 2021. His highest number of league starts in a single season stands at 25 matches, whereas last season he accumulated only 482 minutes of play, attributed to injuries and two red cards. Last December, James underwent surgery in Finland, which was intended to provide a permanent resolution to his recurring problems. However, this marks his second setback since the current season commenced, having initially sustained an injury during Chelsea’s second-to-last pre-season fixture against Real Madrid in the United States. Furthermore, James has not participated with the England national team since March 2023. During his time in the US, when questioned about his objectives for the upcoming season, he responded: “I have one goal. My goal is to stay on the pitch.”