Reece James crosses 500-day mark on sidelines as return from new injury delayed

Reece James’ injury hell shows no sign of ending as his highly-anticipated return from his latest fitness issue has been delayed.

The Chelsea captain has been plagued with fitness concerns during his career that has seen him spend over 500 days on the sidelines.

James is yet to make a single competitive appearance under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca as his torrid time with injuries continues.

The 24-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during his first official game as Chelsea captain on the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

That problem saw him miss ten games, with James looking to manage his workload upon his return by skipping England duty last November.

However, just a month after that, the defender suffered a recurrence of the hamstring issue in a 2-0 defeat to Everton.

Five months after undergoing surgery, James returned in the final few matches of last season but any hopes of proving his fitness to make a late case for a wildcard entry into England’s Euro 2024 squad were ruined by a red card against Brighton in May.

His ban extended into the first three Premier League games of this campaign yet an issue sustained over the summer has kept him out regardless.

According to the Sun, James’ third hamstring injury in a year has not healed as well as expected and club medics have put his comeback on hold.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth, Maresca hinted as much when he said: “Unfortunately, Reece James needs more time.”

It’s another hammer blow for James, who managed just 10 Premier League appearances last term, and only 16 outings in the year before.

His ever-increasing injury record means the Blues academy graduate has only played 34 more games for the club than he’s missed.

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James is among Chelsea‘s best players whenever he is on the pitch but his fitness concerns represent a major problem.

The right-back has already had 18 periods of absence since coming into the west Londoners’ first-team squad in 2019.

That adds up to 124 games and counting Chelsea haven’t had him at his disposal, with over 510 days racked up in the treatment room.

It is a damning record his own father Nigel has attempted to address during an interview with the Beautiful Game podcast in 2023.

When asked what Chelsea are doing to resolve his reoccurring hamstring issues, James Snr said: “He’s not in my hands no more, he’s in the hands of Chelsea Football Club.

“I can’t question them and say, have you lot done this? Course they’re gonna do it.

“They’re got the top people to make sure they get it right.”

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James has started 118 games across all competitions in his Blues career, with 81 of those coming in the Premier League.

His latest competitive start came under Mauricio Pochettino in December, with only two cameo outings since – both in May.

His problems in the professional ranks started after an ankle injury while playing for England at the Toulon Tournament in June 2019.

James also missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after suffering a knee injury in the build-up – with concerns over his fitness ruling him out of Gareth Southgate’s final tournament as England boss this summer.

The latest hamstring injury he sustained in pre-season was the seventh the defender has been stricken within the past three years.

Incredibly, his longest run without fitness worries came during a season-long loan at Wigan in 2018/19 which still accounts for over 30 per cent of his career league starts.