Chelsea captain Reece James has teased a long-awaited return from injury as the Blues head to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

The defender has missed the last five months of action after undergoing surgery on hamstring problems in Finland back in December, having previously only made eight appearances under Mauricio Pochettino.

The Chelsea boss, however, hinted during Friday’s pre-match press conference that the England international could return to his squad.

“We need to see today but maybe he can be available in the squad, yes,” he said.

“The most important thing is that he is going to be with us. Always to have your captain is a massive boost for any team. We have an amazing relationship and he is an amazing player.

“It’s not easy when you come back from a long-term injury. The most important thing is for him to be available and be part of the squad and if he can play five, 10, 15 or 30 minutes it will be amazing. It’s unlucky there are only three games left.

It has been a turbulent first campaign in charge for the Argentine at Stamford Bridge but there is still hope of qualifying for the Europa League after a strong run of results of late.

Pochettino is set for crunch talks over his future at a post-season summit with his coaching staff and co-owner with Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

His hand during those meetings could be strengthened by leading Chelsea into Europe and the return of James will no doubt be a boost.

The 24-year-old posted on X, formerly Twitter, “See u at 5.30 Blues”, ahead of Chelsea’s clash with relegation-threatened Forest on Saturday evening.

Midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has joined James in returning to training after being ruled out since the Christmas Eve clash with Wolves.