Chelsea captain Reece James undergoes surgery and faces long time out

21 December 2023 , 15:06

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Chelsea captain Reece James undergoes surgery and faces long time out

Reece James could be ruled out until at least April after choosing to undergo surgery for a hamstring injury.

The Chelsea defender picked up the problem during last week’s defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. He was forced off the pitch and was set to undergo further testing to determine the severity of the problem.

Now, with surgery deemed necessary, the England right-back is due to serve an extended period on the sidelines. He is expected to be out for three to four months, which could put his place in the England squad for the summer’s Euros in Germany in jeopardy.

According to The Telegraph, James will travel to Finland to undergo surgery. It is hoped that it will help him overcome the persistent hamstring issues that have plagued him over recent seasons.

He was apparently keen to get as much expert advice as possible and has turned to doctors Sakari Orava and Lasse Lempainen for their take. Speaking before the decision for him to have surgery was made, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said: "We are all now thinking how we are going to approach the situation and trying to find maybe different solutions, different strategies.

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“I prefer not to talk too much because it is a situation that is not a nice situation because I know how he is suffering and his family of course. He was so excited to be back again and to be fit to help the team in this situation and, yes, we need to be cautious in the way we talk.

Reece James leaves the pitch against Everton (Getty Images)

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“First we need to settle the basis in the way we are going to proceed with his recovery. Still, Monday we need to see how it is going to be the situation, see the situation and then proceed in trying to find a different way to approach the problem and find different alternatives."

After the injury, James had a downbeat response. Taking to Instagram after leaving the pitch at Goodison, he wrote “devastated,” alongside a broken heart emoji.

The 24-year-old has already missed a large chunk of this season with a hamstring injury. He returned to action in mid-October but started just a handful of games before getting injured again.

James also missed Chelsea’s 3-2 victory over Brighton following the red card he was awarded against Newcastle. The 16-time England international was limited to just 16 Premier League appearances last season and has only surpassed 30 in a single season once in his Chelsea career.

The Blues face a hectic couple of days over the festive period. They travel to Wolves on Christmas Eve before welcoming Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on December 27.

Daniel Orme