Chelsea and England’s Reece James has the potential to be one of the best right-backs in the world. Yet injuries have constantly hindered his career.
Last season, the England international made just five appearances in all competitions for the Blues and has only played in four matches this season.
Although Enzo Maresca said he will miss Saturday’s Premier League match against Leicester City, he doesn’t think he is far away from returning to action.
“It’s a hamstring, muscular problem. We will see, we don’t know for how long, for sure [we want him fit for longer]. At the moment it is not happening but we hope it will happen soon.\
Maresca: BBC Sport
Since his last injury, James’s first appearance for the Blues was against Liverpool on 20 October, during which he could only manage 53 minutes.
His next appearance came against Newcastle United, where he completed 90 minutes.
Followed by another 90 minutes at Old Trafford.
He was also not in the England squad for the Nations League games against Finland and the Republic of Ireland.
So the real question is, how did he get injured again?
Well, the answer, according to Maresca, is during one of Chelsea’s training sessions.
“It was two days ago. He has to try and avoid as much as he can but sometimes things happen even if you want to avoid that. Hopefully he can be available for the next one but he is not available for this one.”
Maresca: Independent
England Career
With Thomas Tuchel now in charge of The Three Lions, James should have even more motivation to sort out his fitness issues so that he can reunite with his former boss.
James was at the peak of his powers when the German was at Stamford Bridge.
However, he has only 16 caps for the Home Nation, so his fitness levels are heavily dependent on whether he will feature in any of the World Cup Qualifiers, Nations League games, or Friendlies.
However, he faces stiff competition for the right-back position from Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnorld, Tino Livramento, and Rico Lewis.
However, with the World Cup a year and a half away, there is plenty of time for him to make the 26-man squad if he can sort out his fitness issues.
However, to make the final squad, James needs to show that he can maintain his fitness throughout a certain period of games, including next season.
What does the future hold for Chelsea’s Captain?
Find out on World In Sport.
