Reece James will hope to lead out Chelsea for the Club World Cup final
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Chelsea captain Reece James was tetchy about questions surrounding a potential new injury concern as he asked for fresh speculation to be “put to bed”.
James was forced to withdraw from Chelsea’s warm-up ahead of their Club World Cup quarter-final tie against Palmeiras last Friday, with the decision being taken as a precaution due to muscle tightness.
He was only able to start on the bench against Fluminense in the last four, leading some to question whether he had developed a new fitness problem.
But when asked about his absence against Palmeiras, James looked visibly irritated as he emphasised that he wasn’t nursing an injury.
“Just to be clear, I wasn’t injured so let’s put that to bed,” he said.
“I wasn’t feeling so good in the warm up with my history,” when asked pressed again later in the media conference. “I could have played but it was a warning so it would have been why did I not listen (if I got injured) so I decided not to take an unnecessary risk and be available.
“I believed and thankfully we won that game.”
James has been plagued by injuries over the past four years, in particular regarding his hamstrings, having underwent surgery in December 2023 and consequently missed 152 days of action.
He’s had a much cleaner bill of health since the turn of the year, but anxiety of a return to the treatment table constantly hangs over him.
He was clearly sensitive to the issue, reluctant to fuel any further speculation surrounding his fitness.
James will hope to regain his place in the starting line-up when Chelsea face PSG on Sunday, with world champion status on the line.
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