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Reece James has suffered yet another injury setback, with a hamstring issue ruling the Chelsea captain out of their Premier League trip to Leicester this Saturday.
Enzo Maresca revealed at his pre-match press conference that James is his only player sidelined as he prepares to face his old club, though the Blues will assess those returning from long international trips. That includes South American duo Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
James’s career has been beset by injuries, with the 24-year-old skipper only featuring in 11 games in all competitions last campaign, and Maresca said: ‘He felt something.
‘He has to be out, for sure this weekend, and then we’ll see. At the moment we don’t know how long. We’ll see.
‘I know it’s not easy, but if every time he is getting an injury it becomes hard for him, for me it’s even worse. He has to accept that. He has to try to avoid it as much as he can.
‘But sometimes things happen, even if you want to avoid them. This weekend he’s not available. Unfortunately he felt something small. It’s a hamstring. It’s a muscle problem. We don’t want to take any risks for this weekend.
Reece James will miss Saturday’s trip to Leicester after feeling something in his hamstring
Enzo Maresca claimed that the Blues ‘don’t want to take any risks’ on the full-back’s fitness
‘The rest, some of them are better, some of them are still a doubt and we need to wait. Today is the first session we do with all the players (returning) from international. We will see after today’s session.’
Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are among those fit to face Leicester, along with Jadon Sancho, who has returned to training.
Sancho’s last appearance came more than a month ago, in the 2-1 Premier League loss at Liverpool. Romeo Lavia is also expected to be healthy enough to start.
James has been plagued with injuries over the past two campaigns, making just 16 Premier League appearances in the 2022-23 season.
He was then restricted to just 413 minutes last term having been named club captain ahead of the season.
His problems in the professional ranks started after an ankle injury while playing for England at the Toulon Tournament in June 2019.
Since then, James has been sidelined with knee, thigh, and ankle problems, with his hamstrings a particular area of concern.
As well as missing Euro 2024, he was also absent from the 2022 World Cup squad after suffering a knee injury in the build-up.