Chelsea captain Reece James has completed surgery for a knee injury and is expected to miss multiple months.
The club announced Friday that James had “undergone successful minor knee surgery” after suffering an injury in training which kept him from appearing in the Blues’ 5-1 win over Bournemouth in Week 6.
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso was unsure whether James could return “before or after Christmas.”
The 26-year-old right back and defensive midfielder has a complicated injury history but played 29 Premier League matches last season before a thigh injury hampered him down the stretch.
James has been capped 29 times by England with five appearances at the World Cup.
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso expects ‘weeks’ without James
“We are all disappointed, especially for him,” Alonso said, via the BBC. “He wanted to have a good start after the international break, but he picked up an injury.
“The surgery has been successful. We are supporting him. I wish him the best recovery. We won’t set timelines, but we expect him to be out for several weeks.
“It’s not going to be short. Whether it’s before or after Christmas then time will tell. It needs to be done properly.
“We have a big squad to deal with injuries. We have four more games until the next break so I think we can manage well with the players that we have.”
How will Chelsea cope without captain Reece James?
There’s no easy stretch ahead for Chelsea.
The Blues are up bright and early for a visit to Everton on Friday, then host Spurs in the Premier League before heading to Liverpool in the League Cup. Man United visit on Halloween.
It’s a weatherable storm thanks to Chelsea’s status outside of European competitions, but can they keep themselves within shouting distance of Man City and Arsenal?
That said, they have depth in James’ positions. Jordan Henderson, Valentin Barco, Romeo Lavia, and Moises Caicedo will also play the midfield of Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-2-1.
Pedro Neto has been favored at right wing back. Malo Gusto appears to be a bit out-of-favor under Alonso but has been exceptional at times for Chelsea. Marco Palestra, 21, has played just 18 minutes for the Blues since arriving from Cagliari.
Alonso’s title hopes hinge on the next couple of months (and then, of course, the next couple of months after that should they be in tact). A healthy James is a massive asset: Getting him ready and right matters a great deal.
