Reece James' injury hell continues after the Chelsea star limped off against Everton… with the full-back having already missed 35 games over the past four seasons due to hamstring injuries
- The Chelsea captain limped off against Everton on Sunday with a hamstring injury
- The full-back has suffered a series of injuries over the past four seasons
- Mauricio Pochettino has so much work to do with a woeful Chelsea It all starts
Chelsea star Reece James faces another spell on the sidelines after limping off against Everton, with the full-back having already missed almost a full season of the past four years due to hamstring injuries.
The Blues captain has had bad luck with injuries over the past 12 months and was forced off after 27 minutes of the Blues' 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted his frustration that their captain 'cannot help the team' amid a string of injuries.
'Reece felt something in his hamstring. He is definitely injured, but we don't know how serious it is,” Pochettino said after the match.
'Of course he is an important player for us, one of the best full-backs in the world. It's really disappointing because after fifteen to twenty minutes we played well and I think these kinds of circumstances make us change because Malo Gusto is obviously recovering from his injury.
Reece James suffered another hamstring injury during Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Everton
The Blues captain limped off in the 27th minute at Goodison Park after his latest injury setback
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted that James cannot help his team due to injuries
'We didn't give away many chances and then you have to move things around to make some changes. Even when Reece left, the team was pushing and playing well.
'But we are disappointed because if you believe that you can build something and a player like him, who should be very important for us, cannot help the team.
“We'll go back in the next few days and reassess what's going on with his hamstring.”
James has already missed seven Premier League matches this season due to a hamstring injury, as well as two games in the club's Carabao Cup.
The Blues have been trying to get him back to full fitness, with the 24-year-old yet to complete 90 minutes this season.
According to Transfer marketJames has now missed 35 games due to hamstring injuries from the 2021-2022 season.
The latest setback could extend the streak to more than a season's worth of missed games in the past four years.
James has also missed a further 28 games due to muscle problems, illness and two knee injuries, with the latter ruling him out for 18 matches in the 2022/2023 season.
| Injury | Dates | Missed games |
|---|---|---|
| Hamstring injury | August 13 – October 6, 2023 | 9 |
| Hamstring injury | April – May 31, 2023 | 7 |
| Sick | March 9 – 15, 2023 | 1 |
| Hamstring injury | March 1-5, 2023 | 1 |
| Knee injury | December 27 – January 31, 2023 | 7 |
| Knee injury | October 13 – December 12, 2022 | 9 |
| Hamstring injury | April 21 – 28, 2022 | 2 |
| Muscle injury | March 3 – 21, 2022 | 5 |
| Eligibility | February 14 – 24, 2022 | 2 |
| Hamstring injury | December 27, 2021 – February 14, 2022 | 11 |
| Hamstring strain | December 24, 2020 – January 18, 2021 | 5 |
| Ankle injury | December 14 – December 28, 2020 | 4 |
James admitted he was suffering from “lowest lows” due to injuries in a diary entry in May
England manager Gareth Southgate saw James leave the field at Goodison Park
The injuries have prevented James from playing a consistent run of games, with the full-back making five consecutive full Premier League appearances between the end of the 2021/22 season and the start of last season.
In a diary entry in May, James told how he was hit by persistent fitness problems.
James was limited to just 16 Premier League appearances last season, while a knee injury at the World Cup ruled him out of England.
'Injuries affect me enormously. When I don't play I feel like the world is against me,” James wrote. 'The smallest things drive me wild. It's not right or normal, but it is what it is.
'I'm trying so hard, but mentally it's tough, super tough and exhausting. The outside world thinks this 'football life' is the perfect life, but I can tell you it is far from it. Many people will never know what it's like, but it's an amazing journey, full of highs and lows.
“Where am I at in that (right now), currently the lowest of my lows in my career so far. It sucks, but with hard work and patience it will get better, without rain nothing grows!'
James previously shared how an injury has affected his mental health on Instagram in late 2022, when he called the year “the toughest yet” and thanked his fans for their support.
Last month, James denied a recall to Gareth Southgate's England squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers, with the Three Lions boss revealing the defender 'didn't feel like he was quite ready' to return after recovery of an injury.
Southgate, who watched James suffer his latest injury at Goodison Park, admitted the defender's place in his Euro squad was a risk.