Reece James has emerged as an injury doubt for Chelsea's Premier League clash against West Ham United.
Over the weekend, The Athletic revealed that the 21-year-old has undergone a scan to determine the extent of a knee injury.
In addition, the report states that James' injury has been managed in recent weeks, and there is some hope that an operation could be avoided.
Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta will be on standby if the right-back is ruled out of the game at Stamford Bridge, as head coach Frank Lampard faces an anxious wait before naming his lineup.
Meanwhile, James has been active on social media since it was reported that he may miss the London derby against the Hammers.
In fact, the England international has somewhat broken his silence.
Although, it's not been to address his injury or to even look ahead to the big game on Monday night.
Instead, James has sent a special birthday message to fellow full-back Ben Chilwell.
The summer signing from Leicester City has turned 24 today (December 21) and James had a simple three-word message for his teammate.
"Happy Birthday brother," James wrote on his Instagram stories with two love heart emojis accompanying the post.
James and Chilwell have struck up a close bond ever since the latter arrived in west London during the summer transfer window.
Speaking ahead of last weekend's 1-0 loss away at Everton, Chilwell explained why he's been surprised by James.
"I knew how good Reece was before I came here but I just wanted to say how much he’s surprised me,” Chilwell said in an interview with the Guardian. "He’s unbelievable, especially for 20 years old.
"He's a brilliant player.
"He’s powerful but quick with it.
"He's very difficult to play against because of how physical he likes to be against his opponents."
