Mauricio Pochettino says major Chelsea star “could be part of the squad” this weekend following injury issues
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Chelsea captain Reece James “could be part of the squad” for the Blues’ Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The right-back has returned to full training and could get some minutes under his belt at the City Ground.
Pochettino confirmed this at his press conference on Friday, with the Chelsea boss saying via Fabrizio Romano: “Maybe Reece James could be part of the squad for tomorrow’s game.”
This season was a big one for James having been handed the captain’s armband by Pochettino last summer but injuries have plagued the England star’s campaign. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured since December 10, when he played 27 minutes versus Everton, as he needed surgery following the issue he picked up during that game.
The defender is very injury-prone and will hope to avoid any other setback ahead of an important pre-season for the Englishman.
Next season is huge for Reece James and Chelsea
Chelsea have had a strong finish to the current campaign and will look to secure European football for next season over their remaining three games. The Blues are currently in the Europe Conference League spot but are only two points from Newcastle in the final Europa League place.
That would provide another path to the Champions League next season, a campaign that will be very important for the current squad as the board at Stamford Bridge will want to see improvement.
James will be expected to step up and if he has another season like this one, the likelihood of the Blues moving on from the defender is high as fans will have had enough of his unreliability. This would be a shame as the 24-year-old is a top talent and many football lovers will want to see him succeed during the upcoming campaign.
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