Chelsea are reportedly dealt a blow after it became apparent that one of their key players would not be returning to action as quickly as initially anticipated.

Chelsea defender Reece James is reportedly not expected to return from injury as fast as first anticipated.

The club captain played a full part in Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States, featuring for more than an hour in four of those games.

However, James was absent from the final fixture against Inter Milan on August 11, it later being revealed that he had suffered another hamstring injury.

With the right-back suspended for the first three Premier League games of 2024-25, it was not necessarily a major blow given the assumption that the 24-year-old would be in a position to return after the international break.

Instead, head coach Enzo Maresca revealed prior to Saturday's league fixture away at Bournemouth that James would require more time to come back into contention.

No timeframe on return?

According to The Sun, James' hamstring injury has not healed as quickly as anticipated.

Although it is stressed that there has been no setback as such, James is not as far down his comeback timeline as was first planned.

Given his past history with hamstring injuries, Chelsea's medical staff have no intention of providing the green light for a return to action when there is a risk of a setback.

As it stands, James now seems unlikely to come back into the fold before the October international break, the final fixture before that period coming on October 6.

While there are still five matches to be played up until that date, Maresca is realistically likely to take the approach that a return later in the month would suit all parties.

What are Chelsea's options?

Malo Gusto has effectively earned the right-back shirt when fit through his performances in James' absence but he, too, was unavailable last week due to a thigh issue.

Nevertheless, a report emerged earlier on Monday that the Frenchman was one of four players who were able to return to training ahead of Saturday's trip to West Ham United.

Axel Disasi started at Bournemouth last time out and will hope for more game time, but Tosin Adarabioyo replaced him just after the hour mark and is now viewed as an alternative.

Teenage academy graduate Josh Acheampong could also come back into the fold, particularly for the EFL Cup and Europa Conference League. body check tags ::

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