Nigel James – the father of Reece James – has now shared an update on his son’s fitness at Chelsea.
The England international’s dad made the comments when speaking on The Beautiful Game Podcast (1:46:00).
So, what did Nigel James say about Reece James? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well – by the sounds of it – things are looking up for the Chelsea No.24 as far as his fitness is concerned.
James missed 22 Premier League games in the 2022/23 campaign, with most of those coming as a result of a knee injury.
However, the 23-year-old seems to be on the mend.
Nigel James said: “What I get from him is, all good Dad. He’s done some training abroad, he’s back and just getting himself ready for the season.
“He’s not in my hands no more, he’s in the hands of Chelsea Football Club (when asked what Chelsea are doing to resolve reoccurring injuries). I can’t question them and say, have you lot done this? Course they’re gonna do it. They’re got the top people to make sure they get it right.”
Mauricio Pochettino needs to find a way to keep James fit next season, as Chelsea are a different side with their academy graduate in the starting XI.
In truth, his prolonged absence was probably a huge factor behind Chelsea’s underwhelming season – he is that important to the Blues.
Chelsea have solution if Reece James suffers setback
If James does unfortunately suffer more injury problems next season, Chelsea have moved to make sure they have a solution in the signing of Malo Gusto.
The Blues wrapped up a deal for the 20-year-old back in January, agreeing a £26.3m fee with Lyon.
Gusto is now at Cobham after spending the second half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan in France, and he represents a solid backup option who can step in for James if Pochettino’s first choice is injured.
Hopefully, that isn’t the case, and the pair can fight for a starting role while both maintaining full fitness.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
