Reece James is set to be out of action for around three months after having surgery on a knee injury sustained in training.
James, 26, missed his side’s 5-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth after the international break.
While he usually still travels with the squad on the team coach when injured, he did not do so for that victory, sparking concerns that there was more to his latest setback.
Now, Chelsea have confirmed that James has had a ‘successful minor’ operation, and will be without him for their league trip to Everton on Saturday and beyond.
In a statement, Chelsea said: ‘Captain Reece James has undergone successful minor knee surgery.
‘The 26-year-old was absent from Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge while medical assessments took place following the injury suffered in training.
Reece James has undergone knee surgery after missing Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth
‘Those assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action. Reece has already begun his road to recovery and will be supported by the club’s medical department at Cobham during this rehabilitation phase.
‘Everyone at Chelsea wishes Reece a speedy recovery and will support him on his road to return.’
Levi Colwill captained Chelsea against Bournemouth in James’ absence.
Xabi Alonso will meet the media at 1.30pm on Friday at Cobham, where he will be asked to provide a further update on James’ latest setback.
James has an unfortunate history of injuries, largely due to hamstring issues. With that, Alonso had been morphing him into a midfielder rather than a right back.
In fact, James has missed 842 days of action, as per Transfermarkt, since he broke into Chelsea’s first team during the 2019-20 season. That is the equivalent of 2.31 years or 99 games for club and country.
Given that record, Daily Mail Sport understands that Chelsea won’t rush the 26-year-old back prematurely and will ensure he recovers fully before returning to action.
James suffered the injury in training and is set to miss around three months of action
James’ new problem robs Alonso of another midfield option, at a time when there were already concerns surrounding numbers in that central area.
Moises Caicedo is now back from being sidelined, which should help until January, when Chelsea are likely to try to add at least one reinforcement.
They are known to admire Alex Scott, though Bournemouth say they want more than £100million to sell him this winter.
Other midfield options for Alonso include the injury-prone Romeo Lavia, Valentin Barco, Jordan Henderson, full-back Malo Gusto and youngster Reggie Watson.
The Blues face Everton on Saturday lunchtime, before league games against Tottenham, Man United and Sunderland ahead of next month’s international break.
