Reece James breaks silence after Chelsea training return ahead of Arsenal clash

Reece James is pushing to be in contention to face Arsenal on Saturday after returning to team training on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old has been sidelined since the opening day of the season when he was forced off with a hamstring injury against Liverpool.

James has been working his way back to recovery but has suffered several setbacks in the process, delaying his return to Mauricio Pochettino‘s side and leaving Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella to fill in at right-back.

It has been frustrating for the newly-appointed Chelsea captain, who underwent a scan around two weeks ago which came back clear. However, as reported by Nathan Gissing, James spent a period training alone away from his teammates, indicating a comeback may not be close.

But prior to their huge Premier League clash against Arsenal, James made his return to rejoin teammates on the grass at their Cobham training base on Wednesday.

Out on the grass. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/vOwUE11ehZ

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 18, 2023

Whether James is in contention or not for selection for Saturday’s London derby at Stamford Bridge remains unclear, with Pochettino set to confirm his availability on Friday during his pre-match press conference.

James has taken to social media for the first time since his team training involvement and was in high spirits as he nears a full recovery.

He wrote: “against all odds”.

against all odds 😛 pic.twitter.com/TBzJpVrZJs

— Reece James (@ReeceJames) October 18, 2023

On his Instagram story, James added: “Thanks to the people that were patient with me.”

Other players who were also involved in Wednesday’s session were Axel Disasi, Cole Palmer and Armando Broja. Meanwhile, Levi Colwill and Noni Madueke reported back for club duty following their time with the England and England U21s setup.

Two players who won’t be available to face Arsenal, though, are Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka. The duo have suffered setbacks in their recovery and are now under further review.

An injury update read: “Defender Trevoh Chalobah and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka have both suffered recent setbacks in their bid to return from respective injuries sustained earlier this season.

“The duo will now go under further review before continuing their rehabilitation at Cobham with the club’s medical staff.”