December 31, (THEWILL) – Reece James, Chelsea’s wingback, is expected to be sidelined for some time following a torn hamstring in his side’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday. The 22-year-old limped off and was replaced by Marcos Alonso after only half an hour against the Seagulls.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel called the injury a “huge blow” after the game, and the prognosis is not looking good for a side suffering a severe shortage of first team players.
The club noted that James tore his hamstring although details about the level of damage done and how long it will keep him sidelined were not provided. As is often the case, a more precise estimation of a return date can be established once the severity of the injury has been determined.
Tuchel therefore remarked that they would have a better idea of the timeframe of his absence soon: “Reece has a hamstring injury, muscle, with always the examination a bit later. The images are better if we wait. We will know more today.”
James, though, will almost certainly be out for the foreseeable future as he joins Chelsea’s ever-growing injury list. With Ben Chilwell out for the season due to the surgery on the cruciate ligament injury suffered against Juventus in the Champions League, Tuchel’s sole recognised wing-back is Alonso.
Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Saul Niguez have all played the position before, but James’ absence is still a big loss because he has been in incredible form for the first half of the season.
In 16 Premier League games this season, the England international has four goals and five assists while also playing excellent defence.
Chelsea has selection issues throughout the squad and not just at wing-back. Thiago Silva and Timo Werner were both out for the match against Brighton, while Andreas Christensen was substituted by Trevoh Chalobah due to a back injury.
This leaves the Blues with a mountain to climb if they want to beat Liverpool on January 2nd. The game is crucial for both teams, as Premier League champions Man City have extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points over the festive break.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
