Chelsea and Graham Potter sweat on the fitness of Reece James as the Chelsea and England right-back appeared to be injured in the 53rd minute in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Reece James returned from a long-term injury that ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup and was handed his first start for Chelsea since his injury against AC Milan in the Champions League group stages. The Chelsea medical team attended to James on the pitch but the England international could not continue on the night and headed straight to the dressing room.
However, Chelsea manager Graham Potter has revealed that Reece James has suffered an injury in the same area that sidelined him for eight weeks which resulted in him missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and also disclosed that they are yet to know the extent of his injury.
What did Graham Potter say about Reece James’ injury?
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Graham Potter said: “No, not really. It’s too soon. It’s the same area [he was injured previously] so we’re concerned. We’ll have to see in the next 24/48 hours.”
“It’s a bit too soon but I think there was that action, a chop, and he felt something then. We’ll have to see the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed.”
“It’s a bit too soon but I think there was that action, a chop, and he felt something then. We’ll have to see the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed.”
“He has been really disappointed to miss the World Cup of course. It was a huge blow for him and he wanted to give himself every chance to be in the squad. You can see today with his quality what he brings to the team. He has had to deal with the injury and try to get back fit. I think he’s done that well.
“We were taking steps and the plan was for him to not play 90 tonight. He was to play 60/65 minutes which was a build-up from what he did previously. So now he’s disappointed and we’ve just got to hope it’s not as bad as it was and he can get on a speedy recovery.”
Asked about the importance of Reece James to the Chelsea team, Graham Potter responded: “Reece is a world-class player. You see it from the outside but it’s not until you work with him how good he is. He is an incredible player, one who would fit into any team in the world. Any team would miss him.”
As things stand, Reece James will join Wesley Fofana, who suffered another injury in Chelsea’s close-door friendly match after returning from a long-term injury.
The injury to Reece James comes at the wrong time of the season as Chelsea faces Nottingham Forest on Sunday and back-to-back games against Manchester City in the Premier League and the FA Cup.
