Graham Potter has provided an injury update for Chelsea defender Reece James ahead of their Premier League clash with Bournemouth.
James has quickly become a key player for Chelsea over the last few years after coming through the academy. The England international has had his injury troubles this season and subsequently missed the World Cup in Qatar.
Potter will be desperate for James to return as soon as possible, especially considering the lack of cover in this position. However, the Chelsea manager understands rushing him back may not be beneficial and has provided an update on his fitness in his press conference, as relayed by Football London.
“The plan is to try to help him build up his minutes, and the next challenge is to build him up in the Premier League, which is not the ideal place to do it. He’s got the capacity to do that, but we just need to be clear and careful with the minutes that he plays. I’m confident the more he plays the more we’ll see what a fantastic player he is,” said Potter on James.
Throwing James back into the deep end in a Premier League fixture clearly isn’t ideal for Chelsea, but with games coming thick and fast and Potter’s side struggling this season, they may be left with little choice.
It does feel that Potter is hinting James may not be ready to start in their upcoming fixture against Bournemouth.