Reece James' injury hell shows no sign of ending as his highly-anticipated return from his latest fitness issue has been delayed.
The Chelsea captain has been plagued with fitness concerns during his career that has seen him spend over 500 days on the sidelines.
Reece James is yet to make a single competitive appearance under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca as his torrid time with injuries continues.
The 24-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during his first official game as Chelsea captain on the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
That problem saw him miss ten games, as he sought to manage his workload upon his return by skipping England duty last November.
Reece James has yet to play since the season began due to injury
Five months after undergoing surgery, James returned in the final few matches of last season but any hopes of proving his fitness to make a late case for a wildcard entry into England’s Euro 2024 squad were ruined by a red card against Brighton in May.
His ban extended into the first three Premier League games of this campaign yet an issue sustained over the summer has kept him out regardless. According to the Sun, James’ third hamstring injury in a year has not healed as well as expected and club medics have put his comeback on hold.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth, Maresca hinted as much when he said:
“Unfortunately, Reece James needs more time.”
It’s become another hammer blow for the English right back, who managed just 10 Premier League appearances last term, and a total of 16 outings the year before. His ever-increasing injury record means the Blues academy graduate has only played 34 more games for the club than he’s missed.
James’ history of injuries with only 34 games more than he’s missed games for the club
Reece James injuries
Ankle injury – June 2019 – games missed: 21
Ankle injury – December 2019 – games missed: 2
Unspecified knock – January 2020 – games missed: 3
Ankle injury – December 2020 – games missed: 4
Hamstring strain – December 2020 – games missed: 5
Hamstring injury – December 2021 – games missed: 13
Unspecified muscle injury: – March 2022 – games missed: 5
Hamstring injury – April 2022 – games missed: 2
Knee injury – October 2022 – games missed: 16
Hamstring injury – March 2023 – games missed: 1
Hamstring injury – April 2023 – games missed: 7
Hamstring injury – August 2023 – games missed: 9
Hamstring surgery – December 2023 – games missed: 29
Hamstring injury – August 2024 – games missed: 6
James’ in action during his loan-spell at Wigan
James is definitely one of Chelsea‘s top players whenever he is on the pitch but his fitness concerns represent a major problem. The right-back has already had 18 periods of absence since coming into the west Londoners’ first-team squad in 2019.
That adds up to 124 games and counting Chelsea haven’t had him at his disposal, with over 510 days racked up in the treatment room.
In his career as a Chelsea player, James has started 118 games across all competitions, with 81 of those coming in the Premier League. His latest competitive start came under Mauricio Pochettino in December, with only two cameo outings since – both in May.
Unsurprisingly, he missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after suffering a knee injury in the build-up – with concerns over his fitness ruling him out of Gareth Southgate’s final tournament as England boss this summer.
The latest hamstring injury he sustained in pre-season was the seventh the defender has been stricken within the past three years.
Incredibly, his longest run without fitness worries came during a season-long loan at Wigan in 2018/19 which still accounts for over 30 per cent of his career league starts.
