Chelsea have been dealt an injury blow to Reece James ahead of their Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 24-year-old looks set to miss out against the Old Gold after suffering a setback in his recovery.
Oliver Jones of Football.London says James might not return until October, so Chelsea should continue with Malo Gusto at right-back.
James picked up knock in pre-season
As per Simon Johnson of The Athletic in August, James picked up a hamstring injury during a pre-season training session. The England international was withdrawn in Chelsea’s friendly against Real Madrid and has a knock which he’s still recovering from. It’s yet another hamstring problem which James has suffered, but his return date is up in the air.
After the Real Madrid clash, James would go on to miss Chelsea’s friend with Inter Milan. Initially, his absence was down to Chelsea being cautious, as James expected to return for the start of the season. But he’s not ready to feature and might need a few more weeks.
Chelsea can survive without James
James has made only two Premier League appearances in 2024, spending most of the year sidelined after surgery. His last top-flight outing for Chelsea came in May, and before that was December 2023. Gusto can ably deputise for the 24-year-old, making 37 appearances last season.
The 21-year-old played a full 90 minutes in Chelsea’s league defeat to Manchester City. He also featured in their UEFA Conference League win over Servette, so Enzo Maresca should keep him in defence. It remains to be seen whether James has a future at Chelsea with all his injury setbacks. There has never been a doubt about his talent, but his availability in recent seasons has been poor.
Chelsea will fancy their chances against Wolves regardless of James, but they’re a better team with him starting. Maresca will surely hope the 24-year-old won’t be out for too much longer.
In other news, Enzo Maresca gives an injury update on Cole Palmer
