Chelsea make Reece James surgery decision after he picked up hamstring injury in Everton fixture - Reports
Chelsea captain Reece James is set to undergo surgery for his hamstring injury in Finland, according to The Telegraph's Matt Law.
The England international has been plagued with the same issue for large parts of his career. He has suffered seven hamstring injuries in the last three years alone. The defender endured a similar affliction in August and was sidelined for two months as a result.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino devised a special plan to facilitate James' recovery to first-team football, given his injury history. However, the Blues academy graduate once again picked up a hamstring injury in his side's 2-0 loss to Everton on December 10.
Following the fixture, Fabrizio Romano reported that the English full-back underwent a medical assessment, the results of which confirmed the injury. The decision for James to receive surgery was supposed to be taken on Monday (December 18).
However, as per the Evening Standard, there was a delay as James was subjected to further assessments to understand the full extent of the injury since it is recurring.
James' hamstring issues are believed to be afflicting both legs and could lead to further problems in his knees, the report claims. Matt Law has now confirmed that the English defender will receive surgery.
As per Romano, James is set to be sidelined until around February or March of next year, depending on his recovery program.
James has registered just eight Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, recording one assist. This appears to be an unfortunate spell for the defender who received the captain's armband ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino explains why Enzo Fernandez was subbed off after 32 minutes in Newcastle clash
Chelsea locked horns with Newcastle United in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night (December 19). Callum Wilson opened the scoring in the first half and Mykhailo Mudryk equalized for the Blues in stoppage time of the second.
The match finished at 1-1 at the end of the regulation 90 minutes, leading to a penalty shootout. Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku, Conor Gallagher, and Cole Palmer all converted their spot-kicks to win the shootout 4-2.
What must've surprised many fans was Pochettino's decision to replace Enzo Fernandez with Armando Broja after just 32 minutes of action in the first half. The Chelsea manager has now revealed why he took the midfielder off.
Pochettino said after the match (via Metro):
"He felt sick. He didn’t feel well before the game and then when he started to play, it wasn’t going well. He asked to come out because he wasn’t feeling well."