Reece James just can’t catch a break at the moment, with the Chelsea captain having to undergo surgery because of a recurrence of his hamstring injury.
He’d already missed 40 days during the 2022/23 campaign with the problem, per transfermarkt, and 54 days in 2023/24.
The latest recurrence is expected to see him miss another 91 days or 16 games, and it could see his hopes of playing at Euro 2024 completely scuppered.
His frustration is obvious though he has hit out on social media at the ‘hate and negativity’ he’s received because of not being able to play for any significant length of time this season.
‘The footballing world knew I got injured but the procedure I would go down this time took slightly longer to figure out the best solution,’ he wrote on Instagram (h/t Sky Sports).
‘I had surgery today to try fix my reoccurring hamstring issue, the recovery has started, both physically and mentally. Since this injury, I’ve had a good amount of support but significantly more hate and negativity.
‘Believe me I don’t want to be injured, l’m happiest when I’m playing football. Thanks to the understanding people that support me despite the highs or the lows, it goes a long way. Stay well.’
It isn’t clear if the comments were directed at Chelsea supporters in particular or internet trolls in general.
Either way, it’s clearly unnecessary and once again asks questions of social media companies and their inability to police such comments.
From the player’s own point of view, he appears to be mentally strong enough to ignore the issue even if he finds it disappointing.
The only focus he should have now is one on getting back to full fitness as quickly as possible.
If he’s able to get back to competitive football by mid-March, he might have an outside chance of making Gareth Southgate’s final squad for Germany.
And if he does,get a red card,just like his sort Rashford.