Chelsea star Reece James breaks silence on knee injury scare

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Reece James has sent a message to Chelsea and England supporters after he was forced off with a knee injury in the 2-0 Champions League win at AC Milan. The marauding full-back, who has been outstanding since the appointment of Graham Potter, raised immediate concern after he went down clutching his knee following a duel with Theo Hernandez in the second half.

James is currently on course to start for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions at the World Cup in Qatar, meaning any bad news would come as a devastating blow for both club and country.

Yet James is seemingly optimistic he will be fine after unsuccessfully attempting to soldier on before eventually being substituted.

He tweeted: “Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one. Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all.”

Chelsea boss Potter is also hopeful that the right-back’s injury may not be as bad as feared, although he was keen to reiterate that scans will determine the full extent of any possible problem.

“Reece, we’re hoping he is okay but it is too early to say until 24-48 hours after,” Potter said in his post-match press conference.

James looked downbeat as he left the field of play while continuing discussions with Chelsea’s medical staff but he did not head straight down the tunnel.

At the full-time whistle, he was able to walk around the San Siro turf and shake hands with the opposition, suggesting there is no serious damage.

He was even pictured laughing with Kalidou Koulibaly as he shared a hug with his fellow defender after Chelsea took another step towards qualification for the last 16.

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It’s been a rocky week or so for Southgate, who recently lost Kyle Walker to injury during the 6-3 Manchester derby victory over Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month.

The Manchester City right-back has been forced to undergo surgery on his groin and is now facing a race against time to be fit for the World Cup.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has struggled for form of late, was also forced off with an ankle problem in Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

It means as of now, Kieran Trippier is England’s only fit and available right-back and Southgate will want to make sure he is wrapped in cotton wool in the coming weeks.

Chelsea also recently lost Wesley Fofana to a knee injury in last week’s 3-0 Champions League win over tonight’s opponents AC Milan.

Yet despite initial fears that Fofana had damaged his ACL, the Frenchman has now been told that he should be in line to return in around four weeks.

Potter’s side enjoyed another easy night’s work at San Siro as goals from Jorginho and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made sure of all three points.

Former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori was shown a straight red card in the first half following allegedly pulling Mason Mount’s shirt, a decision the centre-back fiercely protested.

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