Chelsea: Mauricio Pochettino unsure if Reece James will play again this season
Mauricio Pochettino says he does not know if Chelsea captain Reece James will play again this season.
The 24-year-old defender had surgery on his injured hamstring in December and has not played for Chelsea since. Dr. Lasse Lempainen, who is managing James’s treatment, set out a three- to four-month timeline for the Blues skipper to return.
But, having been without James for three months, Pochettino remains uncertain if the defender will play again this season.
“No, I don’t know,” Pochettino replied when asked for an updated timeline: “It’s difficult to say something because I don’t want you to go ‘but, oh, [you said this].’
“We will assess it week by week and we will see. We hope yes, we hope that he will be available for the end of the season.”
Pochettino was also unsure over when Christopher Nkunku might return but explained why Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemka joined a lengthy 11-man injury list.
“Sanchez suffered a problem when he landed in one action against Leicester,” he added. “We will see if he is available, but I think he is not available for the weekend.
“Carney was good after the game [against Leicester], but he suffered a small injury with the national team when he wasn’t with us.
“Trevoh is doing well in the last few days and we will see [on Friday] and we will assess and will see if he can be available. The percentage is high Trevoh will be available, it is not a big issue.”
Pochettino has had between seven and 12 players out injured for every match this season, which has undermined his ability to get results as Chelsea languish in 11th in the Premier League table.
Next season, we want to be in a better position and not have too many injuries
The club’s medical department, which has lost several staff members again this season having only recently been overhauled, is coming under fire.
Chelsea have had 48 injuries so far this term after topping the absentee table in the Premier League last season.
When asked whether Chelsea are investigating their injury problems, Pochettino said, “Yes, but it is not the moment to talk. Of course, we are professional. Nobody can underestimate this organisation. We know why, but we cannot explain.
“I think we have a really good organisation that we are trying to fix all the problems and also have the players available. But always it is a process. Like a process to play well, it is a process to get the results, it is a process to fix the situation.”
When pressed about when the issues might be fixed, he added, "Of course that is the challenge. Next season, we want to be in a better position and not have too many injuries, to try to anticipate problems, and to start with a whole squad that is ready to compete and to train.”