Reece James is injured: possible Chelsea return date

Star Chelsea defender Reece James is injured after apparently suffering knee ligament damage. As Blues supporters, England fans and Fantasy Premier League players collectively hold their breath, what is the player’s possible Blues or Three Lions return date?

Of all the things to happen and of all the men to lose, James being sidelined through injury was the worst outcome for CFC at present. Let’s be frank. Unfortunately the problem appears to be worse than initially suspected, and there is even speculation mounting that the brilliant athlete will miss the World Cup with Gareth Southgate’s men.

How sad this news really is for the England faithful, Chels‘ fanbase and, of course, the 22-year-old himself. James has risen to be massively admired and respected in the game, both on and off the field. In fact, many of us credit him with being the best at what he does (rightback or right wingback, maybe even right centreback) on the planet! So any team in football would miss the Chelsea Academy graduate, and he would hypothetically get into all of those sides by supplanting their right sided defensive starter.

One update is that a decision over potential surgery will soon be made. Meanwhile another report claims that James could be unavailable for between six to eight weeks. Regrettably, either date would see him sidelined until the upcoming EPL hiatus as the World Cup begins.

How will Graham Potter’s Chelsea lineup against Aston Villa in the Premier League?

Many matches in fast succession are coming along for Chels’ as we head into mid-October. While most of those quick-fire matches are against beatable opposition, the challenges of Manchester United and Arsenal also respectively await at the end of this month and at the start of the next. The main rotation will probably transpire ahead of playing the Red Devils.

The currently busy EPL schedule is also interrupted with some vital Champions League outings for CFC. All this means that Potter will undoubtedly rotate – he invariably has to do so in order to keep starters fresh. For the Villa game on Sunday, the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion head coach will likely make a couple of changes to the team which started at the San Siro versus AC Milan.

Some of the alterations shall possibly be compulsory, such as the aforementioned James. Whereas other Blues shall be rested or dropped. The starting XI I think the 47-year-old will deploy is below in a 3-4-3 formation:

Kepa Arrizabalaga; Marc Cucurella; Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah; Ben Chilwell, Jorginho, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesar Azpilicueta; Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.