Where is Reece James?! Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino reveals captain's season may be over & provides vague injury update on Christopher Nkunku

The Chelsea boss claimed that he is not aware of James' condition and suggested the Blues skipper's season might be over. The English defender underwent surgery on his injured hamstring in December and was expected to be sidelined for three to four months, but with April on the horizon a return is not imminent.

Pochettino further provided updates on Christopher Nkunku's condition - who has missed the majority of the season due to multiple injuries - and revealed that players like Robert Sanchez, Carney Chukwuemka and Trevoh Chalobah are also among the 11 Blues players who are currently out injured.

When asked in a press conference whether James would feature again in 2023-24, the Argentine said, "No, I don’t know. It’s difficult to say something because I don’t want you to go ‘but, oh, [you said this]'. We will assess it week by week and we will see. We hope yes, we hope that he will be available for the end of the season."

He added: "Sanchez suffered a problem when he landed in one action against Leicester. We will see if he is available, but I think he is not available for the weekend. Carney was good after the game [against Leicester], but he suffered a small injury with the national team when he wasn’t with us. Trevoh is doing well in the last few days and we will see [on Friday] and we will assess and see if he can be available. The percentage is high Trevoh will be available, it is not a big issue."

The west London side will be next seen in action on Saturday as they take on Burnley in a Premier League encounter. They will hope to build some momentum with a win and push into the top half of the table.