Enzo Maresca has revealed that Chelsea captain Reece James has been dealt another injury blow.
The Blues’ right-back underwent surgery in December 2023 to fix a recurring hamstring issue which has massively disrupted his career.
James missed a large chunk of the 2023/24 campaign before making a return in October, featuring in each of the Blues’ last four Premier League games.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Leicester, live on talkSPORT, boss Maresca delivered a alarming update on his skipper.
“We have for sure just one injured player and that’s Reece [James] who unfortunately felt something small and we don’t want to take a risk for the weekend,” Maresca said.
The Italian added: “Hopefully it is not something long.”
James missed the beginning of the current campaign after suffering another hamstring issue during the summer.
The defender’s total days out injured since the beginning of last season has reached 271.
He has only featured four times as a result, with his first appearance coming in their 2-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool.
The 24-year-old then started and played the entirety of the 2-1 win over Newcastle and 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
James was a late substitute in their 1-1 draw against Arsenal in what will be his most recent appearance for an undetermined time period.
His latest injury will come as a blow to Chelsea and their fans, who had only recently welcomed their skipper’s return to the starting XI.
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Malo Gusto is likely to replace him, with Axel Disasi another option at right-back alongside natural left-back Marc Cucurella.
More to follow…
