Chelsea's injury crisis deepens: Reece James forced to withdraw from England squad & join long list of Blues absentees as Man City starlet earns first senior call-up

James has endured a troubled time on the fitness front over recent seasons and will be hoping to avoid another lengthy spell on the sidelines. No risks are being taken with him for now, with it being revealed that the 25-year-old has been allowed to withdraw from the England camp. His loss is O’Reilly’s gain, with the City starlet earning a first senior international call-up.

The latest fitness setback suffered by James was picked up during Chelsea’s dramatic 2-1 victory over reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. He was able to complete the full 90 minutes of that contest, but medical tests have determined that the Blues skipper is not ready to join up with his country.

A statement on the England team’s official website read: “Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly has received his first call up to the England senior squad. The 20-year-old moves across from the U21s squad and comes into contention for the Three Lions’ forthcoming fixtures against Wales and Latvia.

“The inclusion of O’Reilly, who has been capped from U15 through to U20 level, follows the withdrawal of Reece James. The Chelsea captain sustained an injury playing for his club over the weekend and has been ruled out of England’s October internationals following medical assessments.”

James has battled a number of ailments down the years, limiting his appearances for England. He missed more than 40 games for club and country during the 2023-24 campaign after undergoing hamstring surgery. All too familiar problems held him back again last season, with a further 26 matches being sat out.

Despite making his international debut in 2020, James has only reached 21 caps. He has faced fierce competition for the Three Lions’ right-back berth from the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and would have expected to have more appearances to his name by now.

O’Reilly is being given the chance to earn his first senior cap after making impressive progress under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The versatile 20-year-old, who can also operate in midfield, only made his senior debut in the 2024 Community Shield and has graced just 15 Premier League fixtures. Tuchel is, however, happy to take a look at him during the latest international break.

James will get the chance to work on his fitness as domestic action shuts down once more. He joins a long list of walking wounded at Stamford Bridge - with Enzo Maresca being presented with a serious selection headache. He saw centre-halves Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile forced off against Liverpool. Levi Colwill has already been ruled out for the season after undergoing an operation on ACL damage.

Cole Palmer is arguably the biggest miss for Chelsea at present, with the Blues having to cope without the services of their talismanic No.10. He is nursing a groin complaint, with it unclear when the England playmaker will be ready for a return to action. Summer signing Liam Delap has been forced to sit out several weeks with a thigh complaint.

Andrey Santos has been nursing a knock, as has Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and Dario Essugo - with the latter another of these that has gone under the knife.

The good news for Chelsea is that they will not return to Premier League competition until heading to Nottingham Forest on October 18. They will hope to have seen their treatment room clear a little by then, with it possible that James - after watching England from afar - will be ready to continue in his role as skipper without the need for another enforced rest at club level to be taken in.