'Unfortunately...' - Chelsea star set to hit unwanted landmark as Enzo Maresca update confirms fans' fears

Chelsea defender Reece James' injury nightmare continues as he has suffered another setback and is likely to miss the game against West Ham this weekend. The defender was set to return after the international break, but he was forced to miss the win at Bournemouth and is now on track to miss the visit to West Ham.

James played five pre-season games but missed the final one against Inter Milan, and he is yet to make a competitive appearance under new manager Enzo Maresca. This latest injury extends his time on the treatment table to nearly 500 days out with inury since his debut.

The 24-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during his first official game as Chelsea captain on the opening weekend of the 2023/24 Premier League season. That injury saw him miss ten games, and James, looking to manage his workload, even skipped England duty last November. A month later, he suffered a recurrence of the same hamstring injury, causing him to spend even more time in recovery.

Both the player and the club had reached a point where surgery became inevitable. He underwent the procedure, which kept him out for five months, forcing him to miss a large part of the campaign before returning for the final stages.

However, his return was short-lived. The defender picked up a red card, which meant he would miss the final home game of the season and the start of this campaign-further compounded by the latest injury.

The Sun reports that James has not healed as expected and is likely to miss additional games, pushing his total time out to 500 days since joining the first team in 2019 according to talksport. There's no doubt that James is one of Chelsea's best players when fit, but he’s had 18 periods of absence since making his competitive debut for the club. He’s played only 34 more games than he has missed.

Ahead of the game against Bournemouth, manager Maresca confirmed that the defender needed more time to heal. He said: "Unfortunately, Reece James needs more time."