Graham Potter and Chelsea were dealt a massive blow against Bournemouth despite being 2-0 up and cruising. Having gestured to the bench in discomfort moments earlier, Reece James continues to play on before making an inconspicuous lunge to keep a ball in play.
That was the last time he touched the ball, going to the ground and putting his hands on his head whilst teammates had to watch on. James was making his first start since hobbling off injured with a knee setback that left him out of action for eight weeks.
His return was brief though, only lasting an hour. Although Potter said afterward that the plan was to get him 60/65 minutes on the pitch he didn’t plan for that to be cut short by injury.
With Manchester City to play twice and Liverpool also on the horizon in January Chelsea will be, as Potter said, crossing everything in the hope that James’ injury isn’t as bad as first thought.
Here’s the latest on the 23-year-old.
James sends a new message
James has sent out another message following reports he could miss at least three weeks of action, he wrote: “It hurts more than you could ever imagine, I guess it’s another learning lesson, whatever the lesson is, I’m yet to know. I’m sure I’ll look back in the future and understand why this had to happen, growth only takes place when your (sic) challenged.