"A sad moment because he's our captain" - Mauricio Pochettino provides Reece James injury update ahead of Chelsea vs West Ham
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has opened up on Reece James going down to yet another injury. In his pre-match press conference ahead of a trip to West Ham United on Sunday (August 20), the Blues boss shed light on the England international's latest injury layoff.
The Argentine manager confirmed that the newly-named Chelsea skipper has suffered a hamstring injury and could be out for several weeks. He also tipped the right-back to come back stronger.
Pochettino said, as quoted by Football.London:
"It's a hamstring. It's not a few days, a few weeks maybe. He is going to come back stronger than he was."
Pochettino claimed that it will be a huge blow to the Blues to lose their skipper for several weeks and added:
"I think it's a sad moment because he's our captain, he was so excited to be the captain, full of energy. We are going to assess him day by day."
James has already started rehabilitation having undergone assessments on his injury. He missed a substantial amount of last season with hamstring, knee and thigh problems and his fitness will be a major issue for the Blues.
The Blues have already lost key players Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana to long-term injuries and James joining the list will be a major setback. The Englishman was withdrawn in the second half of Chelsea's opening weekend draw with Liverpool and was replaced by youngster Malo Gusto.
James played just 1936 minutes across competitions last season and contributed two goals and as many assists.
Gary Neville opens up on Chelsea full-back duo's injury problems
Manchester United icon Gary Neville has claimed that Chelsea boss Pochettino could suffer a major setback this season due to the injury-prone full-back duo of Reece James and Ben Chilwell. He told Sky Sports (via The Mirror):
"What we’ve seen [on Sunday] is that Chelsea have fantastic wing-backs but they’ve both gone off, first game of the season. That will destroy Pochettino’s plans."
"If you’re going to play wing-backs, they have to be outstanding players of high quality, who attack like wingers and defend like full-backs, and they have that. But the big question mark is if those two can stay fit. Those wing-backs are crucial and if they lose them, the whole thing could fall apart a little."
James and Chilwell are a formidable full-back pairing, sharing the pitch 67 times. However, their availability has been a major issue, with both players being fairly susceptible to injuries.