Chelsea captain Reece James has suffered a setback ahead of the new season, suffering another hamstring injury, according to The Athletic. The injury occurred during training at Cobham this week after the club returned from their US pre-season tour.
James was substituted in the 70th minute of Chelsea’s final pre-season friendly against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, replaced by Wesley Fofana.
James had enjoyed a positive summer so far, participating in all five of Chelsea’s pre-season friendlies, but has been ruled out of their final warm-up game against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Fortunately, sources inside the club have stated that the injury is a minor hamstring strain. Chelsea will take a cautious approach and allow him to recover gradually. James was already going to miss the first three games of the new season due to suspension, so he has time to fully recover. Malo Gusto impressed last season and is poised to start in James’ absence. If the recovery goes well, James could be back for the Europa Conference League playoff game at the end of the month.
However, Chelsea fans will be concerned by the recurring hamstring issues, which have plagued him for the past few years and limited his playing time. He underwent surgery in December to try and cure the problem in his left leg and only made five Premier League starts last season.
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