Chelsea captain Reece James returned from injury with a bang against Nottingham Forest
Mauricio Pochettino finally saw the positives of having two key players back from injury in the 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest. The Blues pulled off an impressive second-half comeback at the City Ground after former star Callum Hudson-Odoi put his new club in front.
Following his delightful strike, Pochettino rang the changes with Raheem Sterling and Reece James both returning from injury. After a few minutes, Sterling equalised with James then later turning provider for Nicolas Jackson to score the game’s winning goal.
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Sterling was back in the matchday squad last weekend but did not feature after missing a short period with a back issue. James meanwhile, had not played since December with another serious hamstring injury striking him in the defeat to Everton last year.
Despite that double boost, Pochettino still has a number of big injury absentees with it unlikely any return before Wednesday’s clash against Brighton. With that in mind, football.london has rounded up all the players missing through injury along with their potential return date.
Reece James
James featured off the bench against Nottingham Forest and picked up a delightful assist in his 11-minute cameo.
Injury: Hamstring.
What Pochettino has said: “Massive. It’s unlucky there are only two games ahead and it’s one week. It is important for him to recover for his feelings and he is such an important player for us. He is our captain. We all love him. Yes, important, and to see whether he will be fit and have a chance of making the Euros.
“We have one more week to work. He is doing well in the training sessions. After four or five months, he’s not the same to train and compete but if he has the possibility to do that in the next two games, and if his coach in the national team believes he can cope with the competition, I think he will be ready.
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