Injury troubles have played their part in Chelsea’s recent poor run of form. Fortunately, it now appears that influential full-back Reece James is ready to give them a boost ahead of the weekend’s game against Fulham.
According to The Sport Review, the English defender has returned to training and could feature against the Cottagers on Saturday. James has been indispensable for Chelsea this season but has not played for the Blues since the 3-1 loss to Arsenal at the end of December.
The Englishman joined Chelsea as a six-year-old and rose through the ranks to make his debut for the club in 2017. Reece James spent the 2018/19 season on loan to Wigan Athletic and was so impressive he was named the club’s player of the year.
After returning to Stamford Bridge, the youngster was immediately drafted into the Chelsea team by Frank Lampard. Reece James appeared 37 times for Chelsea last season and scored two goals.
The youngster has been equally impressive this season, racking up 16 appearances and finding the back of the net on one occasion. However, James has been missing for the last three games due to injury issues with his knee, as well as a hamstring injury.
The youngster also missed Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup third round, but Lampard was that James could feature against Fulham.
The young right-back was a key part of Chelsea’s brilliant start to the season and already has two assists from 13 appearances in the Premier League this term.
His absence due to injury has hurt the Blues, who are winless in the league since the defeat to the Gunners. Lampard will now hope that Reece James’ return will inspire the team back to winning ways.
Chelsea desperately need a win against Fulham
Chelsea head to the weekend on ninth in the Premier League table, 10 points behind league leaders Manchester United. The Blues currently look a shadow of the side who were expected to be title contenders at the start of the season. Their most recent game in the league was the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City, where Pep Guardiola’s men tore the Chelsea side apart.
As the hot seat at Stamford Bridge gets increasingly uncomfortable, Lampard will have the fate of previous managers running through the back of his mind. As such, the game against Fulham is of utmost importance to the Englishman as well as his Chelsea team
Published 16 Jan 2021, 01:24 IST
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