Chelsea's 5-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday was overshadowed by a fresh injury setback for club captain Reece James. The Blues had several fitness concerns heading into the international break, but Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Marco Palestra all recovered to feature against the Cherries.
James was expected to be fit alongside them but was a surprise omission from the matchday squad at Stamford Bridge. He now faces a race against time to be passed fit for next Saturday's trip to Everton, though that may come too soon.
Reece James injury latest
James was forced to withdraw from international duty last month after suffering a hamstring injury in training. After three weeks of rest, he had returned to full team training and was expected to start alongside Moises Caicedo in midfield, but was left out entirely.
It was revealed before kick-off that he had suffered an injury in training on Friday, the day before the match. Head coach Xabi Alonso said: “Unfortunately, Reece picked up a little injury yesterday, so we’ll see [in the coming days].”
At full time, he revealed the injury was to his knee: “He felt something. After that, he had the tests later in the afternoon [on Friday]. He had some little issues on the knee. We need to check how long it will be. We need to assess him week-by-week.”
The exact duration of his absence is unclear, but the 'week-by-week' prognosis suggests he may be sidelined for a while.
Potential return date: October 24 vs Tottenham (H)
Jamie Gittens suffers ankle injury
After impressing throughout pre-season, Jamie Gittens has played only 56 competitive minutes for Chelsea this season, largely due to injury. He joined England's Under-21s for the international break but took a kick against Kazakhstan and was later pictured on crutches and wearing a protective boot. He left camp early for further assessment at Cobham.
Speaking on Friday, Alonso confirmed he is facing about three weeks out: “That is the bad news from this international break, that he picked up an injury in his ankle. He is going to be out for a few weeks.”
He will be in a race against time to return before the end of the month.
Potential return date: October 24 vs Tottenham (H)
Emmanuel Emegha's fitness unclear
Emmanuel Emegha's situation is not absolutely clear. The Dutch striker picked up a hamstring injury in pre-season but is back in first-team training. Despite that, he was left out of the side to face Bournemouth, raising questions about his fitness.
His exclusion could simply be down to the fact he sits below the on-form Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck in the pecking order.
Potential return date: October 17 vs Everton (A)
