Reece James' injury against AC Milan put a dampener on what was otherwise a successful evening for Chelsea. In the 2-0 win over the Serie A champions, James was forced off with a knee injury after colliding with Milan defender Theo Hernandez.
James took to Twitter after the game, saying he had his 'fingers crossed' that the injury wasn't severe. Graham Potter will certainly be hoping that arguably Chelsea's best performer this season is available for selection as soon as possible.
Hakim Ziyech missed the trip to San Siro due to illness, but should be available for Sunday's trip to Aston Villa. With that being said, football.london has taken a look at all the latest injury news Potter faces ahead of this weekend's clash with Villa.
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Reece James
Reece James was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek with half an hour to play in Chelsea's Champions League group stage clash with AC Milan. The defender fell to the ground clutching his knee following a collision with Theo Hernandez a few moments earlier.
He tried to soldier on and fight through the visible pain of said knock. But after Rafael Leao waltzed past him to curve open the Blues' backline, it was clear he would be unable to carry on.
This comes as a major blow for James, who has his eyes set on a place in Gareth Southgate's starting XI ahead of the Qatar World Cup. As it stands, the Three Lions are set to be without Kyle Walker, who has recently undergone surgery, while Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up a knock to his ankle in Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
What Potter said: "We're hoping he'll be ok. We'll need 24 to 48 hours. We'll know more after that."
Expected return date: Unknown
Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all pic.twitter.com/2DvHS5r4lM
— Reece James (@ReeceJames)
Hakim Ziyech
The Moroccan came off the bench in the win over Wolves, but he did not travel with the squad to Milan. The 29-year-old stayed at home due to feeling unwell.
What Potter said: "Hakim is ill. Hakim has a sore throat. That's why he didn't travel."
Expected return date: Aston Villa (A), October 16
N'Golo Kante
What Potter said: "He had a reaction in training, so we're just waiting for the news on that. It's not ideal and disappointing for him and for us, so we have to wait and see the extent of it and then go from there."
Expected return date: Unknown
Wesley Fofana
According to French news outlet L'Equipe, Fofana suffered a sprained knee and is set to miss up to four weeks of action. Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Law has also confirmed the news that the French centre-back will be fit again before the 2022 World Cup in November.
What Potter said: "Obviously, we missed Wesley [Fofana] and Mateo Kovacic, three games in a week for him would've been too much as he has been nursing a knee problem."
Expected return date: November 2022.
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