It’s not been the best 2023/24 season for Chelsea club captain, Reece James, with his recent hamstring concern the latest injury issue to keep him out of the first-team picture.
Each time he’s taken two steps forward, it seems that the England ace has had to take one back.
With the European Championships to be played in the middle of next year, the defender can do without having to take another few months off.
A shoo-in for Gareth Southgate’s side in Germany if fit, James is clearly going to have to work hard on his recovery and follow everything to the letter.
It appears that he would’ve preferred not to have surgery for the simple fact that it could jeopardise his place in the Three Lions squad, but he was persuaded to go under the knife on one condition.
“Reece James had surgery in Finland this week. Everything was fine and even Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was in touch with him. Chelsea believe it could take three to four months before the player is back on the pitch, so his season is not over,” Fabrizio Romano said in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
“James’ mission is to be fit for the final two to three months of the season and then to be fit for Euro 2024. After consulting the medical specialists wanted by Chelsea and people close to the player, he accepted the decision to go ahead with surgery.”
There’s likely to be a tendency from the player to want to push hard in his recovery in order to ensure his participation at the Euros, however, that’s the worst thing he can do.
If he’s able to get back on the pitch in March so much the better, however, if it’s April before he does so, there’s still plenty of time for him to get back to the fitness levels that Southgate will require.