Chelsea’s Reece James will have a scan next week to determine how long he is likely to be ruled out for with his latest hamstring injury.
James and Chelsea are nervously waiting on the scan, with the final results expected to be delivered to them sometime towards the end of the week.
It is understood that the defender is devastated over his latest setback, with the club doing everything they can to support him.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that James had suffered another injury on Thursday, but the club have been unable to put a timeframe on his absence while they wait for him to be scanned.
It is believed that some swelling around the hamstring prevented Chelsea from fully scanning James until the middle of next week after the club had originally hoped to scan him over the weekend.
Chelsea will take no risks over the fitness of James, given his record, but another lengthy absence would be another huge blow to the 24-year-old.
James has played only 654 minutes of football since being named Chelsea captain 15 months ago and shared his disappointment over his latest injury on Instagram.
In his Instagram post, James wrote: “This message is to the people that understand and have respect for what I’m going through… I appreciate you so much, your support and kind words go further than you could ever imagine.
“And just to touch on me… I’m doing OK, been better and also been worse. Another challenge ahead accepted. Eventually I’ll come out on top. Against all odds.
“Lastly, I’d like to touch on the festive period coming, these times are tough for everyone! I wish you all a happy and peaceful festive season.”
On Thursday, Maresca said: “He felt something. He has to be out, for sure this weekend, and then we’ll see. At the moment we don’t know how long. We’ll see.
“I know it’s not easy, but if every time he is getting an injury it becomes hard for him, for me it’s even worse. He has to accept that. He has to try to avoid it as much as he can.
“But sometimes things happen, even if you want to avoid them. This weekend he’s not available. Unfortunately he felt something small. It’s a hamstring. It’s a muscle problem. We don’t want to take any risks for this weekend.”
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