Chelsea have confirmed ahead of their New Year's Day match against Nottingham Forest that defender Reece James is set to be ruled out for up to a month after suffering a knee injury against Bournemouth.
James, 23, was making a first competitive appearance since mid-October against the Cherries but could not continue after feeling his knee just minutes into the second half of the match. After initially injuring the same right knee playing against AC Milan during the Champions League group stages, the full-back was sidelined for nine Chelsea matches and also missed out on a place in Gareth Southgate's squad at the World Cup as a result.
The 15-cap England international has only managed to make 14 appearances for club and country this season. In a tweet preempting the official announcement, James described 2022 as 'the toughest year to date'.
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According to that timescale provided by the club, James may be sidelined for up to six matches, including the one next up against Forest. This latest setback only adds to the injury problems at Chelsea.
Fellow defenders Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana as well as midfielders N'Golo Kanté and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all also expected to miss the trip to the City Ground. Forest-linked forward Armando Broja is also expected to miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, while Kovačić and Hakim Ziyech have only just returned to training after reaching the World Cup semi-finals with Croatia and Morocco respectively.
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