'Sad moment' – Mauricio Pochettino reacts to Reece James injury blow

Mauricio Pochettino expects to be without Reece James for at least a ‘few weeks’ and admits his injury setback is a ‘sad moment’ for Chelsea.

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James, who was handed the captain’s armband at the start of the season, suffered a hamstring injury in training this week.

Chelsea summer signing Malo Gusto will fill in for James but his absence represents a significant blow to Pochettino’s side.

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham manager has already lost Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana to serious injuries.

Asked for an update on James’ fitness at his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Pochettino said: ‘It’s a sad moment because he’s our captain and he was so excited by that. He was full of energy.

‘I think we’re going to assess him day-by-day. Hopefully he can come back soon and be stronger than he was.

‘He will not be back in a few days. It will be a few weeks. It’s not a big issue but the most important thing is that we sort the problem and he can come back.’

Chelsea drew 1-1 with Liverpool in their Premier League opener and travel across London to face West Ham this weekend.

Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia could make their Chelsea debuts at the London Stadium after arriving at Stamford Bridge this week from Brighton and Southampton respectively.

While Pochettino has managed in the Premier League before, he says last weekend’s draw with Liverpool offered a reminder of how tough the English top-flight is.

‘The competition is really tough,’ he said. ‘The tempo is amazing. It’s higher than any other competition in Europe and the world.

‘The time of recovery is completely different. It’s the most difficult competition in the world.’

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