Chelsea FC have been hit with the unfortunate news that their star wing-back Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury in the pre-season build-up. According to a new report from The Athletic's team reporter Simon Johnson, the news has been confirmed by sources within the club, and although the injury has been described as 'minor', Chelsea will be taking a cautious approach to ensure that Reece James makes a full recovery.
Reece James is reportedly feeling unwell as the squad wraps up their pre-season tour of the United States and returns to Cobham for training. The 24-year-old England international was in fine form during the pre-season friendlies, appearing in all five games for Chelsea, showing his all-round ability and importance to the team. However, the injury will keep him out of Chelsea's warm-up match against Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, which will undoubtedly be a blow to the squad.
To add insult to injury, Reece James will also miss the first three Premier League games of the season due to a straight red card in the penultimate round of last season's Premier League. This means that he will face a lengthy absence early on in the league, posing an even greater challenge to the Chelsea defense.
Although the club side have said that they will take all the necessary steps to help Reece James regain his fitness, it is still unknown whether he will be able to play in the UEFA Europa League play-offs later this month. The UEFA Europa League play-offs are just as important for Chelsea, who will need to show strong competitiveness on this stage in order to push for a better result. However, the absence of Reece James will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on the team in both offense and defense.
