Since making his debut for the Chelsea first team, Reece James has missed more than 100 matches due to injury. And before the start of the 2024-2025 season, bad luck has not stopped following the English defender.
If healthy, Reece James is always one of the best players on the field for the Blues. However, the defender has spent a lot of time in the treatment room and will now miss the start of the season under Enzo Maresca.
According to The Athletic, Reece James felt discomfort in his hamstring during training. The Blues captain was taken off the field in the 70th minute in a friendly match against Real Madrid on August 7.
Previously, the 24-year-old player had a positive pre-season with Chelsea, starting all 5 friendly matches. However, in the final friendly match against Inter Milan, the English defender could not attend.
According to British media, the Blues are expected to be more careful and cautious with Reece James' injury this time. Chelsea will give the 24-year-old defender time to recover to avoid repeating the same problem. Furthermore, the player born in 1999 will also be absent from the first matches in the 2024-2025 Premier League because of suspension.
Chelsea 's captain received a red card in the penultimate match of last season. This is also Reece James' second red card of the season, so he must receive a four-match ban.
However, there is still a chance for Reece James to play in other arenas. Chelsea will meet one of two opponents, Braga or Servette, in two rounds of the UEFA Conference League play-off matches later this month. The first match is on August 22, while the second match is on August 29.
Chelsea's defense has endured a poor 2023-2024 season, although Mauricio Pochettino has plenty of options. Injury caused Reece James to only have 5 starts last season, while wearing the captain's armband of the Blues. The 24-year-old also missed EURO 2024 with England due to injury.
This summer, before getting injured, Maresca asked Reece James to regularly stay in midfield instead of on the outside. This change was positively received by the English defender.
"Pre-season so far has been fantastic. Yesterday we got a good result against Club America and hopefully we can build on that.
Pre-season results don't really reflect anything. We're taking a big step in the right direction in terms of the process we want to have in place when the season starts. I think that's the main focus, not the results," said the Chelsea captain.
