Why Chelsea don't need to go shopping for a right-back in January
FT Desk
- 29 Oct 2022 10:15 CDT
- 3 min read
Chelsea may not need to enter the transfer market for defensive reinforcements this winter after receiving a positive injury update from Reece James.
The right-back has been out of action since early October after suffering a knee injury in the Blues' Champions League clash with Milan.
James looks set to miss out on the World Cup, where he was expected to play a leading role for England on the right side of defence.
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Chelsea too were sweating on their homegrown star and are lacking depth behind him in the position.
Had the injury turned out to be more severe Graham Potter may have asked for extra cover to be brought in during the January window, with Cesar Azpilicueta the only established alternative to the England star.
According to James, though, he will soon begin running in a swimming pool as part of his recovery - and the player refuses to give up on his World Cup dream.
Will James make World Cup?
"I will try and not rule myself out," James told The Sun.
"It is still slow and in the early stages. I have been in rehab for two weeks, so I am still taking it day-by-day. The Chelsea medical staff have not given me a percentage of my chance of being back for the World Cup.
"It is down to how I feel closer to the time and how stable it is... I am trying to be positive. I am not not sure how long this injury will take. I am not in pain.
But if I try to speed it up, it might be a bit of a risk. I am trying hard every day to improve and make it right.
"I don’t know when I will be able to run again... You don’t go from walking to running.
"That is a difficult thing about injuries - you have to do it in stages, so I have to start running in the pool first. Hopefully, this will be in the coming days."
