Reece James looks set to make his second major injury comeback of the season after suffering a second knee injury in his return match on Boxing Day. In the clash at Stamford Bridge against Bournemouth, James was making his first appearance since early October after he hobbled off at the San Siro in the Champions League group stage clash against AC Milan, but his return was cut short by another injury.
The club later confirmed the defender would be out for at least a month and with the Premier League fixture against Fulham on Friday, February 3 arriving just beyond that timeline, James, as confirmed by Chelsea boss Graham Potter, will be in his squad under the lights tomorrow.
“Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Raheem Sterling, and Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] are back in the squad, not ready for 90 minutes but in the squad," Potter said when asked for the latest team news ahead of the west London derby.
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Chelsea have greatly missed the absence of James during his prolonged absences this season with no other member of the Blues squad able to match his output and intensity. Trevoh Chalobah has filled in admirably but the return of James is undoubtedly a boost for Chelsea if they can keep him fit and ease him back into action.
As Potter revealed, the 23-year-old is not ready to complete 90 minutes, and although it's very possible he starts and is an early substitution on Friday, that plan was in play last time and it saw return to the treatment table very quickly.
Such is the velocity he plays football at, injuries have plagued James for the last few campaigns but he will hoping this is final injury setback of this season. Posting on Instagram, he said: "Damn these legs been thru a lot but forever grateful for the highs and lows, now its goooo time".
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