Chelsea get new Reece James injury verdict as captain caught up in 'perfect storm'

Chelsea captain Reece James has been told he is caught up in “the perfect storm” that is contributing to his persistent injury woes, with the defender now sidelined for an indefinite period once again.

It is thought that the 24-year-old has suffered another hamstring issue that is not directly a recurrence of a former issue, having been blighted by setbacks in recent seasons. After missing the start of the campaign due to a hamstring injury, James played four games before sustaining his latest problem.

The right-back missed 37 matches last season due to an initial hamstring issue before undergoing surgery on the muscle last year. Since August 2023, he has played just 15 games, which only increases to 39 since August 2022.

James has now suffered at least two setbacks in each of the past six seasons, having sustained five separate injury instances in the past 18 months alone.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca used James sparingly upon his return from his initial hamstring issue, limiting him to just one game a week. He played 241 minutes of football, including lasting the full game against Newcastle United and Manchester United, before his fresh injury blow.

Injury analyst Ben Dinnery says a number of factors are working against James. The requirements of his game as a full-back, the increasingly packed schedule and his need to always play catch-up with his fitness seem to be creating a vicious cycle.

Dinnery says James will likely go back to square one in his long-term rehabilitation plan, which would have plotted for James to be integrated more regularly as time had progressed. He noted several factors that are contributing to the player’s misfortune.

"You look over the last four seasons and Reece James has not played in half of Chelsea’s Premier League minutes, so that in itself is a concern and a worry," Dinnery told football.london. "And then he also had a setback in the summer and so you're almost always playing catch up.

"Unless you're mirroring what's happening the best you can on the football pitch in training, then it's pointless doing it because you need to push the players hard so that when they do cross that white line, they are robust and resilient enough to be able to handle the demands of the game. And the Premier League in itself is unique in that."

Dinnery added: "Once you have a history, once there's been an identified problem and a concern - and almost a weakness - then you're going to be more susceptible.

"The fact that Reece is predominantly a wing-back, explosive dynamic movements, high intensity runs… People talk about distance covered during games - that hasn't really changed a great deal over the past few years.

"What has changed at the highest level is depreciating recovery times. And [wing-back] is a very demanding position for Reece James. So it's almost this perfect storm that's coming together, and unfortunately, that weakness within the hamstring has become an issue.

"They [Chelsea medical team] will reset, go through the protocols again, go through the rehab. And while there are no guarantees, you just put those steps and processes in place to try and ensure that you're going to minimise the risk of further setbacks down the road."

Ben Dinnery was speaking to football.london courtesy of TG Casino.

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