Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Reece James felt some discomfort in his hamstrings ahead of Chelsea's clash with West Ham and, as a result, misses out on selection against West Ham. The German coach says it is not a recurrence of the injury that kept the Cobham star out of action for the early part of 2022 and is a precautionary measure.
Chelsea are already without Mateo Kovacic and Antonio Rudiger, while Trevoh Chalobah has come into the Blues' starting XI at Stamford Bridge as a late replacement for Andreas Christensen. It will be the 22-year-old's first start since before the international break.
Tuchel further revealed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek would line up once again as a wing-back in James' absence. The midfielder impressed in the role against Southampton earlier in April.
