Reece James will NOT be fit for Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign as Tuchel says wing-back’s hamstring was ‘big injury’
THOMAS TUCHEL has ruled Reece James out of Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign after flu added to the wing-back’s ‘big injury’.
England star James has been out with a ‘tricky’ hamstring problem since limping off against Brighton on December 29.
And Blues’ boss Tuchel believes the 22-year-old needs more training time to build up his ‘confidence’.
Chelsea were reportedly targeting a return for James in the tournament, for which they fly to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Before that, Tuchel’s men host League One promotion chasers Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round in Saturday’s lunch-time game.
But Tuchel said: “After a couple of weeks, he will need some time in team training to get the confidence back.
“He does not travel with us to the Club World Cup.
“For Reece, I am too long a coach to not get over-excited by pure dates that are maybe out there.
“The injury was a big injury and I felt it straight away… from there we have to be patient.
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“It’s always a bit of a tricky one and he is a physical player.”
Tuchel added: “He caught flu in the last week and lost days in his process of coming back to the team.
“We have to stay patient. He works hard and is in the best hands.”
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