Reece James Chelsea injury return timeline truth explained in fresh update

Chelsea have not set a timeline for the return of Reece James as he sets about recovering from yet another injury issue, football.london understands. The club captain last played as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal earlier this month.

James, who spent the international break at Cobham having fallen out of favour with England due to his ongoing fitness problems., was then ruled out by Enzo Maresca for the win over Leicester City on Saturday after picking up a new hamstring injury. The 24-year-old had a scan to assess the damage.

There is no immediate plan for James to return yet, it is understood, as the club take it on a week-by-week to best help their right-back through yet more tough times. Results from the scan are thought to have been largely positive for James and it is unlikely that he will need surgery.

James has so far only played six times in 2024 having missed almost all of the second half of season following a separate hamstring injury suffered in a 2-0 loss to Everton just over 12 months ago. football.london understands that the current issue is not related to an old one.

The club are adamant that James will not be pressured into on a return date, with no target set just yet. James, unsurprisingly, didn't train with his teammates ahead of the Conference League group phase match against Heidenheim on Thursday.

Speaking about James on Wednesday at Cobham, Maresca said, "Yes [he had a scan]. We cannot say because we do not know how long the recovery time is. He is getting better and better day by day. We are there waiting for him - no rush."

The Italian added: "We do not know exactly [what the problem is] and that's why we do not know how many days he needs. The only thing we can say is he is getting better and better."

Maresca has so far left James out of midweek selection when available as his minutes are carefully managed. Along with Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana - who were all left out of the initial UEFA squad for the competition, there was never an intention to use James in matches before Christmas outside of Premier League action.

Having missed the first two months of the season following an injury sustained at the end of the club's tour of America over the summer, James returned to start three games in a row. He worked his way up from just over 50 minutes in a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield all the way to playing 90 minutes against both Newcastle and Manchester United.

Maresca named James as a substitute in the draw against Arsenal as a precaution but was soon left without the defender. Chelsea now have 10 games before the turn of the year, with seven of those in the Premier League.

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