Chelsea full-back Reece James has pulled out of the England U21 squad due to an injury which he sustained during one of the training sessions, as per Football London.
The report claims: “Chelsea have been handed another injury set-back after Reece James withdrew from international duty.
“The right-back had linked up with the England U21s ahead of their matches with Kosovo and Austria.
“The 20-year-old suffered an injury in training and has been pulled out of the squad, being replaced by former Blues Academy player Tariq Lamptey.”
This is a big blow for the Chelsea boss since players like Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham are yet to join the Chelsea training sessions due to COVID-19 self-isolation and injuries.
And all the missing players will only report back on the week just before the 2020/21 Premier League season begins.
Now this fresh injury to Reece James is another headache for Frank Lampard even though this is not going to keep his on the sidelines for too long.
Chelsea take on Brighton and Hove Albion on the 14th of September and as things stand, Reece James could be an absentee for that game.
Cesar Azpilicueta will be able to cover up for him at right-back but the Chelsea boss will have a reduced bench strength which is something he would not want as the Blues take on Liverpool just six days later.
Hakim Ziyech also picked up a knee injury during a friendly against Brighton a couple of days ago but the new arrival should be fit in time to take on the Seagulls in the season opener.