Reece James Injury Status vs Manchester City Confirmed

Following the international break and a strong 7-0 win over Port Vale, Chelsea are gearing up for an important stretch of their season that could define whether Liam Rosenior sticks around or whether this project can get Champions League football in back-to-back campaigns. With Manchester City on the horizon, ahead of this fixture, the media conference provided an update on Reece James and his injury status for the fixture as the squad look light on leaders with Enzo Fernandez serving a suspension and Levi Colwill continuing his rehab for an ACL tear.

Will Reece James Start for Chelsea This Weekend vs Manchester City

Latest Update Via Liam Rosenior

While discussing the the status of a number of players, the manager noted that Colwill is in full training but has a lot to deal with before making his first appearance of the entire season, Trevoh Chalobah is doing on-pitch work after his injury, but most notably James is back running with the team during training but none of those mentioned will be available for City.

The English right-back only being back running does make it seem like he’ll be a few weeks away as he works his muscles back up to full fitness. This is especially true as he has been troubled with injuries over the years, particularly when it comes to muscular problems.

What This Means for The Squad

The Blues will be light on leadership as their captain and club captain will be unavailable for this Premier League tie. This could prove pretty crucial as mental strength is a weakness for the club and will be needed to overcome the dominant Manchester City unit who have veteran leaders and natural winners throughout their lineup.

Malo Gusto is likely to start and play as the right-back in the continued absence of James. Gusto is a good wing-back profile but isn’t as technically gifted as his colleague who has proven capable of playing in midfield with his incredible on-ball skills.