Reece James sends Chelsea injury update before Carabao Cup final as return stance revealed

Reece James is making good progress in his recovery from injury after undergoing surgery following a second significant setback of the season, football.london. At this point the club are reluctant to put a timeframe on his return though.

After returning to the Chelsea side in December following three months out with a hamstring problem, James only last half an hour in a 2-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. It came a little over six weeks from his first minutes as a substitute against Arsenal in late October.

James only started four games in the league during that brief period but was left inconsolable as he exited the pitch eight weeks ago in Merseyside. The club eventually took the decision to operate and things have been in good order since.

The 24-year-old has taken to social media to drop a tease of his next steps. Posting on his Instagram story, the Chelsea captain simply put an image of his boots next to his slightly muddied white socks. It would appear, with this, that the defender is back on the grass in some form.

With Euro 2024 at the end of the season there is a clear goal for James as he looks to try and shake fitness problems that have plagued his career for over two and a half years now.Early indications from his surgery suggested that he could be back cautiously in around four months from the surgery.

That would take Chelsea into late March or early April. With the final international break of the season in mid-March it is likely that he won't be seen in action before Chelsea's visit of Manchester United on April 3, and even that is being optimistic. It means that James, alongside Benoit Badiashile and possibly Thiago Silva, will miss the Carabao Cup final on February 25.

Mauricio Pochettino has surprising