Chelsea captain Reece James is facing several weeks on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury during Saturday’s Premier League defeat by Newcastle, a significant blow coming just days after he signed a new six-year contract.
The 26-year-old will miss Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris St Germain, a match where the Blues must overturn a daunting 5-2 aggregate deficit. Adding to head coach Liam Rosenior’s concerns, Malo Gusto is also a doubt due to illness.
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Rosenior confirmed the injury, stating: “Reece felt something in his hamstring at the end if the game against Newcastle. Really frustrating and disappointing one for us. We don’t know the full extent of that injury but he’s out for tomorrow’s game.”
He expressed concern over the potential duration of James’s absence, adding: “It could be (weeks) with a hamstring injury, it’s never great. Hopefully we can get him scanned, find out the full extent then we’ll know more.”
He highlighted James’s importance, calling him “an important leader” and “our captain.”
Liam Rosenior admitted James’ injury could keep him out for a while (AP)
The injury is particularly frustrating given James’s extensive history of hamstring issues, which saw him miss around seven months of the 2023/24 season after surgery and only recently regain the fitness to play regularly, making 36 appearances this campaign – his most since 2021/22.
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However, there was some positive news for Rosenior, with Brazilian teenager Estevao returning to training.
“It’ll be assessed whether he can take part PSG,” the coach confirmed, as the team prepares for the monumental task against the French champions.
Meanwhile, Rosenior addressed the controversy surrounding the team’s pre-match huddle, which drew attention during Saturday’s match when referee Paul Tierney became inadvertently caught in the middle.
A decision is yet to be made on whether the team will continue the ritual around the match ball. Rosenior reiterated the huddle is intended to foster unity, not to intimidate.
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“I think it’s been blown out of proportion,” he commented. “It’s a small thing amongst many serious things that we need to address, such as the massive game against PSG.”
Rosenior said his players are yet to make a decision on whether to do their pre-match huddle (Getty Images)
He added: “The lads have always wanted to show unity and togetherness, think they’ll continue to do that. But what we don’t want is to antagonise and bring more noise on ourselves. We’ll make the decision on where we do that on the pitch tomorrow.”
Rosenior also revealed plans to meet with PGMOL this week to discuss refereeing decisions that have gone against his team, though not necessarily the incident involving Tierney.
He dismissed the huddle debate as a “distraction for the media,” emphasising the team’s primary focus.
“We have a huge game against PSG tomorrow. We have an opportunity to do something really special. We know we need to be perfect. I’d rather focus on that,” he concluded.