Chelsea confirms Reece James has undergone surgery and begun rehabilitation

Chelsea announced that captain Reece James had undergone knee surgery. The club had framed the procedure as upcoming under the headline “the glass player” again; its announcement confirms the operation took place and describes it as minor. James was injured during a training session, but the precise nature of the injury has not been disclosed.

The 26-year-old defender has no confirmed return timeline: Chelsea has not said how long his recovery is expected to take. The club says, however, that his rehabilitation is under way and that its medical team will support him at Cobham. “Everyone at Chelsea wishes Reece a speedy recovery and assures him of its full support on the road back to the pitch,” the club statement said.

The latest setback comes after repeated injuries and absences in recent years, which have led some Chelsea supporters to call James the “glass player”. Chelsea, currently sixth in the league, is due to visit Everton on Saturday. With no recovery timeframe announced, it is not possible to establish whether the captain will miss that fixture.