Reece James has suffered another hamstring setback, marking the 10th such injury of his career.
The Chelsea FC captain picked up the latest problem only days after agreeing to a new six-year contract with the club. The 26-year-old defender had recently returned to regular action and featured in six of Chelsea’s last seven matches.
Before the injury, James had spoken about finally overcoming a difficult period plagued by fitness issues. “I had to come through a lot, two or three years of struggles and setbacks,” he said last week after signing his new deal. “I’m in a really good place at the moment. My body is feeling good, I’m playing on a regular basis, two or three games a week.”
The injury arrives at a critical moment for Chelsea, whose form has dipped in the Premier League, leaving them sixth after winning just one of their last five matches. The team, managed by Liam Rosenior, are also preparing for a crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, where they must overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit.
Speaking about the injury, Rosenior said: “Reece felt something in his hamstring against Newcastle. Really frustrating and disappointing one for us.
“We don’t know the full extent of the injury, but it rules him out of tomorrow’s game.
“With a hamstring injury, it’s never great, and for Reece, we can get him scanned and then we know more. We know what an important player he is and leader in the group – he’s our captain.
“Any player at any time, if you feel something, you’re going to be worried about it. Once we get the full diagnosis then we can make a statement about it.”
The setback could also affect James’ chances of being included in Thomas Tuchel’s England national football team squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with the final roster due to be named by May 30. He is now expected to miss England’s March friendlies against Uruguay national football team and Japan national football team.
Elsewhere, Estevão Willian returned to training with Chelsea after missing six matches due to a hamstring issue, while Levi Colwill also participated as he continues his recovery from ACL surgery.
Goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen was absent from training due to a groin concern, while right-back Malo Gusto missed the session because of illness.
Rosenior said: “With Malo [Gusto], he’s ill today so we’ll have a look at him for tomorrow.
“Estevao is back in training. He’s back part of the group, we’ll assess whether he can take part in the game in some way tomorrow.
“Filip [Jorgensen] felt something in his groin after the PSG game and again, we’re getting him scanned to find out the full extent of that injury.”
Meanwhile, Pedro Neto avoided further punishment after being charged by UEFA for pushing a ball boy during the first leg against PSG. The governing body issued only a warning.
Rosenior commented: “He’s a top player, he apologised for the incident in Paris. There was no bad intent, he just wanted to get on with the game and UEFA have made the right decision.”
