Chelsea have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Norwich City on Thursday evening.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed during his pre-match presser that Ben Chilwell and Reece James have missed training with injuries.
The Chelsea manager revealed that James has had muscular problems and he will need further examinations to determine the true extent of his injury.
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The German manager also confirmed that the club are worried about his situation and they are hoping that the injury isn’t too serious.
Tuchel said to the club’s official website: “Everybody was on the training pitch today except for Ben Chilwell and Reece James, who has some muscular problems after his three games.
“He has muscular problems in his other leg, not the previously injured leg, but he will still need some further assessment.
“He felt it during the match and it didn’t get any better. Today there will be further examinations. It’s obvious what he can give to our team, so it is not good news at the moment.”
According to The Athletic, the Chelsea star will be sidelined for the next four matches at the very least.
James has been a key player for Chelsea since breaking into the first-team scene and his absence will come as a major blow for the Blues.
While the Londoners have a capable alternative in Marcos Alonso for the left-back position, replacing Reece James is far more difficult for the Premier League giants.
Although youngster Trevoh Chalobah has done a reasonably good job in his absence, James is far more assured defensively and effective going forward.
The 22-year-old has five goals and six assists in just 15 Premier League starts this season.
Furthermore, the Chelsea defender can operate as a centre back in a back three and as a right-sided full-back. His versatility will be missed by the Blues during his absence.
Chelsea will be hoping to close in on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in the coming weeks and they cannot afford to have their key players ruled out through injuries.
The Blues are currently 16 points behind the league leaders and their title hopes are fading fast.
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