Reports have claimed that Reece James was already signalling a problem with his knee just moments before he was forced off injured last night.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea weren’t ready for a substitution at the next possible moment, forcing the 23-year-old into more defensive work which could have made things even worse.
The England international was enjoying his first professional outing since an injury forced him off at the San Siro in a Champions League match back in October.
The knee problem ruled him out of the World Cup, where he would almost certainly have been a crucial player in England’s attempt at glory.
Chelsea fans will have been hoping that despite his personal heartbreak at missing the international tournament would result in him being fully fit and ready to go when club football returned.
James signalled his injury
While he started the game against Bournemouth yesterday, it ended in sudden and seemingly heart-breaking fashion just minutes after the restart.
The Athletic have stated that the injury likely occurred moments before James was pictured signalling his discomfort to the bench,
Graham Potter will be well aware of how much weaker the Blues are without James in the side, with them struggling to pick up points in the time he was injured before Christmas.
The manager utilised Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and even Raheem Sterling in the wing-back role, all to no avail.
With big Premier League fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester City coming next month, there will be a huge hope that the injury to James is not as bad as first feared.
There will however be an annoyance amongst the Chelsea staff that they were unable to get the England man off the pitch as soon as he alerted them of his injury, a moment which could see them lose him for many more weeks.
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