Captain Reece James was absent for the last Chelsea match, a stunning 5-1 win over Bournemouth following the international break. The right-back did not go on England duty for the four-match window and his absence from the Blues squad was causing some questions over how bad his injury might be with the club remaining cagey on his future. Ahead of their clash with Everton, there has been an official statement on the 26-year-old and his injury.
The official statement reveals that James has undergone surgery on what is described as a “minor” fix. The surgery was to help an issue with his knee, a problem picked up in training. There is no timeline given on a potential return to the field or any notes on the actual finer points of the knee injury.
With the captain undergoing surgery, he is expected to be out for the foreseeable future, which prevents the weekly demand for updates at Xabi Alonso press conferences, as we saw during Moises Caicedo’s time on the sidelines.
Why is this a positive update, you may be wondering? An issue with the knee is a far better outcome than what many first feared when the defender was marked absent. James has had well-documented struggles with hamstring issues over his career, totalling over 60 matches missed due to various hamstring problems. Another tear or issue with the muscle would have proved to be a significant setback just five months after his last one.
Surgery to the knee will be welcome news to fans. It isn’t the same problem spot and is less likely to reaggravate and impact the entire campaign the way a hamstring injury could have. No injury is ever to be celebrated, but in a case like this the player and team have avoided the worst-case scenario.
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