Chelsea v Newcastle United - Premier League
Chelsea are expected to be without Reece James for some time (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea captain Reece James looks set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury.
James played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle as Liam Rosenior’s were dealt another blow in their hopes of securing Champions League qualification on Saturday.
But the 26-year-old was not pictured in first-team training this morning ahead of the Blues’ Champions League last-16 second leg with Paris Saint-Germain.
According to The Athletic, James is a certainty to miss Tuesday’s night clash at Stamford Bridge and is expected to be out of action for ‘several weeks’ with the muscle problem.
The England right-back, who has been playing in midfield for Chelsea this season, has a long history of injury problems stretching over the course of his career in senior football.
The news will come as a significant blow to Liam Rosenior and Chelsea, who enter a crucial stage of the campaign after what has been a tricky run of results.
Since breaking through at Chelsea, James has missed a total of 136 games for club and country as a result of fitness issues and was forced to sit out the 2022 World Cup due to a knee injury.
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Chelsea v Newcastle United - Premier League
The versatile full-back played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea’s loss to Newcastle (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea v Newcastle United - Premier League
The Chelsea skipper will no doubt be sweating over his selection hopes for this year’s World Cup (Picture: Getty)
The deadline for Thomas Tuchel to name his England squad for this summer’s World Cup is May 30.
Following Kieran Trippier’s retirement from international duty, the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento and Ezri Konsa appear to be the standout right-back candidates should James fail to recover in time.
More to follow.
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