Reece James suffers injury scare ahead of Chelsea's pre-season tour as he 'has a scan on his knee'

Reece James has had a scan on his knee ahead of the club's pre-season tour to USA, according to reports.

The 23-year-old endured a miserable campaign with Chelsea in which he was restricted to just 24 appearances as the club floundered to a 12th-place finish.

James had a number of injury issues throughout 2022-23, including two knee injuries between October and January, and as such Chelsea fans will hope that this most recent scan is nothing more than a precaution.

James is still expected to be  been included in the Blues' tour of USA, where they will face Wrexham, Brighton, Newcastle, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund with the issue believed to be just a minor concern, as per The Athletic.

The report claims that the player felt some pain during a pre-season training session, prompting the scan in order to ascertain the extent of the damage.

As well as knee problems, James also struggled with hamstring problems, with one in particular ruling him out of the final seven games of the season, not long after he had returned from a layoff as a result of a thigh problem.

His knee issues had ruled him out of contention in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

The right back had been on holiday in Dubai, but was given a tailored fitness plan in order to get himself back fighting fit.

The player's father revealed that James harbours ambitions to take fill the current captaincy void at the club, with Cesar Azpilicueta departing for Atletico Madrid, while also insisting that James' future remained in west London.

Discussing James's aims on The Beautiful Game Podcast, Nigel James said: 'Reece is a top player so I'm sure most clubs would want to sign him but right now I don't see anything changing.

'He is a Chelsea player