Chelsea captain Reece James speaks out after suffering another injury setback

Reece James has taken to Instagram to deliver a message to fans after suffering another injury setback.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca revealed at his press conference on Thursday that James will not be available for Saturday's match with Leicester due to struggling with a hamstring problem.

James has only played 654 minutes of football since being named Chelsea captain 15 months ago, and is now set for another spell on the sidelines.

But he gave a defiant message to his social media followers on Thursday night as he thanked fans for their support and vowed to overcome his injury blow.

The England full back wrote on Instagram: 'This message is to the people that understand & have respect for what I'm going through... I appreciate you so much, your support and kind words go further than you could ever imagine.

'And just to touch on me... I'm doing okay, been better and also been worse. Another challenge ahead accepted. Eventually I'll come out on top. Against all odds.'

The severity of James' injury is yet to be determined, although Maresca appeared to indicate that his absence this weekend is a precaution and he could return to the pitch shortly.

Maresca said: 'He felt something. 'He has to be out, for sure this weekend, and then we’ll see. At the moment we don’t know how long. We’ll see.

‘I know it’s not easy, but if every time he is getting an injury it becomes hard for him, for me it’s even worse. He has to accept that. He has to try to avoid it as much as he can.

‘But sometimes things happen, even if you want to avoid them. This weekend he’s not available. Unfortunately he felt something small. It’s a hamstring. It’s a muscle problem. We don’t want to take any risks for this weekend.'

James has endured a torrid time with injuries in recent years, and has missed the last two major tournaments with England after being unable to prove his fitness.

He was also sidelined at the start of this season, and Maresca admitted last month that James is only capable of playing one match a week due to his ongoing physical struggles.

James subsequently started three straight league matches against Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United, but was dropped to the bench for Chelsea's last game before the international break as Maresca preferred the full back pairing of Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Gusto and Cucurella look set to start once more when Chelsea return to Maresca's former club Leicester in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off.