Chelsea manager Graham Potter says he is “crossing his fingers” that Reece James’ latest knee injury is not serious.
James was taken off in the 53rd minute of the Blues’ 2-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Tuesday.
It was the 23-year-old’s first game since returning from a knee injury who left him out of England’s World Cup squad.
“It’s the same area, so we’re worried,” Potter said.
“It’s really too early [to tell]. We will have to see in the next 24-48 hours. He sensed something there and we’ll have to find out the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed.
“He was really disappointed to miss the World Cup, of course. It was a blow for him. You could see today his quality and what he brings to the team. He’s a player You see him from the outside but it’s only when you work with him that you see how good he is.
“He could play in any team in the world, and any team would miss him. The plan was to play 60 minutes today, so now he’s disappointed, of course.
“We hope it’s not as serious as before and that he can recover quickly.”
Until his replacement, James had been one of the best players in a rejuvenated Chelsea side, which had failed to win in five league games before the season’s World Cup break.
“It’s a step forward for us as a team,” Potter added.
“Thanks to the players. You never know how it will go with the break we had. The performance in the first half was good. The attitude was fantastic. It was a deserved win.
“We weren’t in the best of times so you have to use the breaks as best you can and we did that to assess and reassess and recover injured players. We used it as best we could, even with players coming back at different times, and the attitude of the players has been fantastic.”
Kai Havertz also impressed for Chelsea, as he brushed aside a disappointing World Cup campaign with Germany – who exited in the group stage – to score the first goal for the Raheem Sterling-created Blues.
“I know Raheem’s vision. He loves playing those balls,” the German striker told Prime Video.
“It was a perfect ball and I was happy to score. The win and the goals will hopefully give us some confidence.
“He [Graham Potter] gives me the freedom to do what I feel comfortable on the court. I like to play free and be in the box. He gives me a lot of confidence.”
