Reece James is not expected to return from his latest injury setback before the end of December following a scan on his hamstring with Chelsea ready to support him through another physical and mental battle.

Reece James is facing another spell on the sidelines for Chelsea and is not expected to return to first-team action until the New Year. James has endured torrid luck with injuries in recent seasons, managing just 654 minutes of football since being named Blues skipper 15 months ago.

Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has backed his team-mate and captain Reece James after the right-back suffered yet another injury blow. James, who missed the start