Reece James has suffered another hamstring injury which has ruled the Chelsea captain out of England’s camp for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.
James picked up the issue during the 2-2 draw against Hull City and missed first-team training this week. Xabi Alonso confirmed he was a doubt for Chelsea's Premier League fixture against Brentford, before Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel revealed the 26-year-old was not included in his squad due to injury.
Alonso went into further detail in the build-up to Chelsea's clash at the Gtech Community Stadium by confirming it was a hamstring injury that had resulted in James being sidelined.
"He had a little injury in his hamstring,” the Spaniard told Sky Sports.
“He tried, we waited until this morning but he coudldn't make it. Now we have enough time to prepare for the next one. He was just short of recovering."
James has endured persistent hamstring issues throughout his career, and he missed the final two months of the previous campaign after sustaining a hamstring strain in March. He was still picked by Tuchel for this summer's World Cup, but was sidelined during the tournament after reporting problems in the muscle.
The Chelsea skipper has been utilised exclusively as a central midfielder by new Blues boss Alonso this term. His absence coincides with an injury lay-off for Moises Caicedo, which prompted Alonso to select Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco in the engine room for the 3-0 defeat to Brentford.
With James to be given the three-week international window to recuperate, we've taken a look at how long he could be sidelined for.
When is Reece James expected to return from injury?
While Alonso refrained from providing a timeline on James' injury absence, Chelsea are optimistic the versatile defender will be available for selection following the international window.
Chelsea entertain Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 10th October and then make the trip to Merseyside to face Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium a week later.
James' omission from Tuchel's England squad can be considered a blessing from a Chelsea perspective with the 26-year-old now having an extra week to recover.
