Chelsea wing-back Reece James has suffered a hamstring tear that will leave the England international on the sidelines for the forseeable future, football.london understands.
The 22-year-old only managed 27 minutes of action in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton, coming off with another injury concern for Thomas Tuchel to contend with.
James now joins Ben Chilwell as another of the Blues’ important wing-backs that will be out of action for a period of time following their fine start to the season.
Chilwell, 25, suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Juventus in the Champions League that is set to keep him out for the remainder of the season.
It means the injury concerns continue to pile up for Tuchel, who has Marcos Alonso as his only recognised wing-back for the crunch match with Liverpool on Sunday.
The German coach could be without as many as five first-team players after Thiago Silva and Timo Werner were forced to miss the midweek clash with Brighton and Andreas Christensen was forced off at half-time with a back problem.
While their returns could be more immediate, James could be out for a considerable amount of time depending on the grade of hamstring tear he has, with the higher the grade, the longer he is out for.
The injury comes at a time where the Cobham academy youngster has been enjoying his best football, scoring four goals and assisting five times in an advanced role for a wing-back that sees him involved further up the pitch.
His versatility also gave Tuchel options at wing-back, central defence and in the midfield if needed this season.
It represents yet another blow in a difficult December for the club, who have slipped eight points behind leaders Manchester City.
The going doesn’t get much easier when the New Year comes around, though, as the Blues face Liverpool, Manchester City and London rivals Tottenham three times in the space of the next month.
It could prove to be a decisive period for the title prospects of the side who are in a tricky run of form.
