Chelsea
have confirmed captain Reece James is set for spell on the sidelines after
suffering an injury in training.
The new Chelsea captain has started rehabilitation having undergone
assessments on the injury.
James missed a substantial amount of last season with hamstring, knee and
thigh problems and this latest setback will be another blow for Blues boss
Mauricio Pochettino, who has already lost Christopher Nkunku and Wesley
Fofana to long-term injuries.
He was withdrawn in the second half of Chelsea's opening weekend draw with
Liverpool and was replaced by 20-year-old Malo Gusto, who made his debut for
the club.
Speaking on his podcast after the game, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville
warned about the potential damage an injury to James or fellow full-back Ben
Chilwell could do to Chelsea's prospects this season.
"What we've seen is that Chelsea have fantastic wing-backs, but they've both
gone off in the game," said Neville. "First game of the season. That will
destroy Pochettino's plans.
"If you're going to play wing-backs they have to be outstanding players of
high quality, who attack like wingers and defend like full-backs, and they
have that. But the big question mark is if those two can stay fit.
"Those wing-backs are crucial and if they lose them the whole thing could
fall apart a little."
What's next for Chelsea?
Chelsea visit West Ham next Sunday August 20 live on Sky Sports; kick off
4.30pm.
Chelsea's next six fixtures...
Sunday Aug 20: West Ham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky
Sports
Friday Aug 25: Luton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
Wednesday Aug 30: AFC Wimbledon (H) - Carabao Cup, kick-off 7.45pm
Saturday Sep 2: Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
Sunday Sep 17: Bournemouth (A) - Premier Leaguem, kick-off 2pm, live on Sky
Sports
Saturday Sep 23: Aston Villa (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
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