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Gareth Southgate has revealed that Reece James has returned to Chelsea as he was unhappy with his leg. Reports suggest the defender had a hamstring issue that forced him to leave the England camp.
James has had trouble with injuries this season and missed the FIFA World Cup as a result. He has had relapse issues too, which saw him getting injured on his return to the pitch earlier this year.
Speaking at a press conference, Southgate confirmed that James had another relapse issue, forcing him to withdraw from the squad. He said:
"Reece has gone back, he's not completely happy with how his leg feels. He was a little bit concerned about that earlier in the week."
The England manager added:
"I think, probably for him, the injury after the injury that ruled him out of the World Cup has made him a little more cautious at this moment in time. It probably needs some time. It is not unusual to have a serious injury and then smaller injuries on the back of that."
He continued:
"With Reece, it is a case of building his resilience to load and him being comfortable with that. With him, the club tends to play a game and we are a bit more cautious on the next one. He is a really good player and he has got absolutely everything and could be anything he wants to be. This is a temporary thing and hopefully he can overcome that pretty quickly."
Reece James might need more time to recover at Chelsea
Reece James had a tough 2022, during which time he was often injured. He wrote about his time on the sidelines and claimed that it was the toughest year of his life. He wrote on Instagram:
"2022 has been the toughest year to date," he wrote. "Just wanna thank you all for the support, none of you go unnoticed. It's naturally effected [sic] me mentally, I'm currently just tryna deal with the cards I've been dealt. I hope your end of year is filled with peace, joy & happiness."
Chelsea signed Malo Gusto as the backup to Reece James in January, but he is on loan at Lyon for the rest of the season.
