Chelsea have been handed a major injury boost as captain Reece James returns to training after spending two months on the sidelines following a hamstring surgery.
The Athletic reports that the 24-year-old, who has suffered a campaign plagued by recurring injury problems, has returned to light training after the lengthy lay-off.
The England international went under the knife in December to correct a hamstring issue and has kicked off the initial phase of his long-term return to full fitness.
James is targeting a return to full first-team training in less than a month and wants to be involved in Chelsea’s season run-in, but it would be wiser to take things slow – a sentiment shared by the club.
The Chelsea captain has been missing in action since limping off the pitch 27 minutes into the 2-0 defeat against Everton on December 10, and the Blues have sorely missed someone of his quality.
When he plays, James is easily one of the best right-backs in European football, but recurring injuries have significantly limited his involvement over the past couple of seasons.
The Englishman has only featured nine times for Mauricio Pochettino’s side this term, contributing an assist in the remarkable 4-4 draw against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
James’ recent lay-off was the second of the 2023/24 campaign, having previously struggled with an identical hamstring problem at the start of the season.
The Chelsea academy graduate was replaced in the second half of the opening-day draw against Liverpool and missed the subsequent nine games before returning in October.
The Blues would be delighted to see their captain back on grass, but he wouldn’t feature in Saturday’s box office clash against defending champions City at the Etihad Stadium.
Malo Gusto will keep his place in the squad, and although the Frenchman has suffered his fair share of injury niggles, he has been a standout performer for Chelsea thus far.
