Reece James will NOT play for Chelsea at the Club World Cup as Thomas Tuchel reveals star full back still hasn’t returned to first-team training due to ‘big’ hamstring injury
- Chelsea’s Reece James will not return from injury in time for the Club World Cup
- He has been sidelined since picking up hamstring injury at the end of December
- Thomas Tuchel provided an update on the defender’s recovery ahead of FA Cup
Chelsea right back Reece James will not return from injury in time for the Club World Cup, manager Thomas Tuchel revealed on Friday.
The 22-year-old, who has been a standout performer for the Blues this season, has been sidelined since picking up a hamstring injury at the end of December.
There were reports that James could be in line to make his comeback for the club’s Club World campaign but Tuchel provided an update on the defender’s recovery ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup clash this weekend.
Reece James has been missing since injuring his hamstring in draw with Brighton in December
‘He is not in team training yet, so maybe that answers the question,’ Tuchel said.
‘After a couple of weeks, he will need some time in team training to get the confidence back.
‘He does not travel with us to the Club World Cup.’
Chelsea face League One outfit Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday in the lunchtime kick-off before travelling to Abu Dhabi to play in the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel revealed James will not be available for the Club World Cup
Blues boss Tuchel revealed that James’ rehabilitation has also been delayed by the England international suffering with flu recently.
‘For Reece, I am too long a coach to not get overexcited by pure dates that are maybe out there,’ he added.
‘I know you can have setbacks and can take long sometimes. The injury was a big injury and I felt it straight away.
‘The diagnosis was straight away it was a big injury and from there we have to be patient. It’s always a bit of a tricky one and he is a physical player.
Blues defenders James (right) and Ben Chilwell (left) shared photo in rehabilitation last month
‘He caught flu in the last week and lost days in his process of coming back to the team.
‘We are patient and we want to have him on the pitch tomorrow, of course, but it’s not happening at the moment and we have to stay patient. He works hard and is in best hands.’
The full back has been missing since the end of December after sustaining a hamstring problem during a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
James has been a key figure this season, scoring four goals and registering five assists in 16 Premier League games.