OFFICIAL: Reece James suffers injury in training & to be out for a 'few weeks'

Chelsea have confirmed captain Reece James is set for spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury in training.

The new Chelsea captain has started rehabilitation having undergone assessments on the injury.

James missed a substantial amount of last season with hamstring, knee and thigh problems and this latest setback will be another blow for Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has already lost Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana to long-term injuries.

Captain James hurt himself during a session on Wednesday, handing Chelsea another significant injury concern at the start of the campaign having also lost Christopher Nkunku in pre-season.

Pochettino said: ‘It’s a sad moment because he is our captain and he was so excited to be our captain and full of energy.

‘I think we are going to assess him day by day and for sure as soon as possible [him] be again by the team and for sure become stronger than he was because with the structure of the club we are going to help him be stronger than before.

‘It is not about a few days, maybe a few weeks but the most important thing is the evolution. The good thing is it is not a big issue.’

He was withdrawn in the second half of Chelsea's opening weekend draw with Liverpool and was replaced by 20-year-old Malo Gusto, who made his debut for the club.

Speaking on his podcast after the game, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville warned about the potential damage an injury to James or fellow full-back Ben Chilwell could do to Chelsea's prospects this season.

"What we've seen is that Chelsea have fantastic wing-backs, but they've both gone off in the game," said Neville. "First game of the season. That will destroy Pochettino's plans.

"If you're going to play wing-backs they have to be outstanding players of high quality, who attack like wingers and defend like full-backs, and they have that. But the big question mark is if those two can stay fit.

"Those wing-backs are crucial and if they lose them the whole thing could fall apart a little."