Most Chelsea fans can probably agree that when Reece James is fit, he is undoubtedly one of their most important players, not just because he's their club captain, but also because he's a very influential player and definitely makes Chelsea a better team when he's in the side.
But since his Chelsea debut in 2019, he's missed 146 games in all competitions through injury, which is the equivalent of nearly four Premier League campaigns, and with him missing the Blues' match against Brentford on Friday with a hamstring issue, Chelsea fans are beginning to wonder when James will return.
Although James played the full 90 minutes against Hull on the 12th of September, manager Xabi Alonso revealed that he picked up a knock during that game. The club monitored his fitness in the build-up to the Brentford game, but he was deemed unfit to play.
This isn't the first time that James has had an issue with his hamstring. With him missing nine games last season with the same or similar issue, it's been a persistent concern throughout his Chelsea career, being absent for a total of 337 days with hamstring-related issues, so it will definitely be something that Alonso will have to monitor to try to protect his captain.
In his post-match press conference after Chelsea's disappointing display at the Gtech Community Stadium, Alonso said his medical staff gave Reece James every chance to play but didn't want to push him if he wasn't 100 per cent fit.
""He's had a little injury in his hamstring. He tried, and we waited until this morning. He tried to make it, but he couldn't [.] Now we have enough time to prepare for the next one. He was just short of recovering. Chelsea opted for caution, ensuring James does not aggravate the issue further as they navigate a busy schedule in the coming weeks.'"Xabi Alonso
The talent and impact that Reece James has is undeniable, but surely the patience amongst Chelsea fans is getting short, as just when you think he's staying fit and getting a prolonged stay in the squad, the Englishman gets another setback, forcing whoever's in charge at the time to alter their technical planning and the combinations they have to choose from, as they can't trust him to stay consistently fit, messing up the continuity within the squad.
James himself has come out and called his injury setbacks and time off the pitch, as well as the constant reporting from the media calling it "boring".
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