Reece James has returned to Chelsea training in a major boost to Thomas Tuchel’s side.
The England wing-back has been sidelined ever since suffering a hamstring tear during the 1-1 Premier League draw against Brighton at Stamford Bridge on December 29.
While such an injury did not require surgery, it came with a lengthy lay-off and James has subsequently missed all of Chelsea’s last 12 matches across all competitions, including the Club World Cup triumph in Abu Dhabi.
James was initially due to return to training last week, only to suffer a setback in the form of a bout of flu that delayed his participation further.
However, the 22-year-old is now finally closing in on a long-awaited return to Tuchel’s starting XI after resuming group activities at Cobham on Thursday.
Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final against Liverpool will surely come too soon for James. Chelsea’s next game after Wembley comes away at Championship side Luton in the fifth round of the FA Cup next Wednesday.
The Blues also face Burnley, Newcastle and Norwich in the top-flight in March, as well as the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Lille in France on the 16th.
Look who's back in training! 😁 pic.twitter.com/h9ptLVXyEF
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 24, 2022
James’ fellow wing-back Ben Chilwell remains Chelsea’s only definite absentee moving forward, with the former Leicester star ruled out for the rest of the season following knee surgery.
Hakim Ziyech, Mateo Kovacic and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all set to be assessed ahead of Sunday’s Wembley showpiece.
Watch footage of Reece James’ return to training in Chelsea’s official video above.
