Reece James ‘suffers hamstring injury setback’ in Chelsea training ahead of Newcastle clash

Reece James suffered a setback in Chelsea training this week as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, according to reports.

The 23-year-old has been hit with injuries this season which has limited the defender to just 24 appearances in all competitions, which also saw James miss out on the World Cup due to a knee injury.

James suffered a setback on his return against Bournemouth after the World Cup break and had to wait until February to make his long-awaited comeback into the Chelsea side.

After a run in the side, James was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury after Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last month.

Following scans post-match, the England international’s season was over after caretaker boss Frank Lampard confirmed: “Reece James will be unavailable for the rest of the season.

“Reece had a hamstring injury in the midweek game. He got through it but then had a scan and he’s out.”

James has returned to individual training, along with the likes of Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell who have also been recovering from their respective injuries, and hope grew over his potential involvement at the end of the season for their final game against Newcastle United in the Premier League.

According to reports, James was ‘aiming to feature’ against Newcastle despite Lampard’s stance of the right-sided defender not playing against this season.

However, it’s claimed he ‘tweaked his hamstring’ during Wednesday’s training session at Cobham and now it ‘remains to be seen’ if his desire of making the team against Newcastle is possible.

Chelsea have two games left before their dismal campaign concludes. They face Champions League chasing Manchester United on Thursday night before heading to Stamford Bridge to host Newcastle who have already confirmed their spot in the top four.