Reece James Injury: Progress & Potential Return Date for Chelsea Defender

James suffered another injury setback and is once again in for a spell on the sidelines.

Reece James continues to deal with hamstring issues that have sidelined him for the majority of the past year. / IMAGO/News Image

The injury problems of Chelsea's captain, Reece James, continue as it was confirmed that the 24-year-old player picked up a knock and will be sidelined for the team's match vs. Leicester City.

James has been dealing with hamstring issues that sidelined him for much of last season. He underwent surgery on Dec. 2023, but the problems reappeared over the summer and once again in recent days, as manager, Enzo Maresca, confirmed.

"Unfortunately he felt something small and we don't want to take any risk for the weekend," Maresca said in his pre-match press conference.

"Hamstring. It's a muscular problem. We don't want to take, as I said, any risks for this weekend. Hopefully it's not something long," Maresca added.

It's a tough blow for Chelsea but especially for James, who has missed over 100 games for the Blues due to injury since the 2020–21 season. James has made only four appearances for Chelsea this season, all coming in the team's last four Premier League games.

Maresca previously said that the idea was to ease James back into action, only playing him one game a week to protect him as much as possible. Despite Chelsea playing it safe over the past month, James has returned to the medical room.

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When Will Reece James Return From Injury?

There's not a confirmed timetable for James's return. Maresca did say that hopefully it wasn't a long-term issue. History hasn't been kind with James and his hamstring problems, in the first game of the 2023–24 EPL season, James left the game injured in what at the time was said to be a short-term issue. However, he ended up missing over two months.

Time will tell how long James is sidelined for this time. If it's a short absence, then he could be back before year's end, but the fear for Chelsea fans will always be that the issue re-appears at any given time, continuing to hinder the career of one of the most promising players to come out of Chelsea's academy in recent years.

James has played only 723 minutes of first-team soccer for Chelsea since the start of last season. Injuries have significantly halted his progress as a player, as not long ago he was even involved in conversations for being the best all-around right back on the planet.

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Potential Replacements for Chelsea

Chelsea's depth has been on full display this season and Maresca confirmed that apart from James, the rest of the squad should be available for selection at King Power Stadium.

Chelsea clearly have a lot of experience on how to deal with its captain's absence. Malo Gusto is more than capable of filling in at his natural position at right back, while Marc Cucurella is poised to continue to handle the left back responsibility.

Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga have both played minutes in both the UEFA Conference League and the Carabao Cup at the right back position, giving Maresca even more alternatives that allow him to continue the significant squad rotation he's made a habit of doing since his arrival to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's squad was often mocked by pundits and fans over he summer, but one of its benefits is that the Blues are better equipped than most to find solutions for its injured players.

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