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Former Chelsea stars David Luiz and John Terry passed on their messages to Reece James after the Blues captain shared a fitness update on Instagram.
James, 24, has undergone surgery to fix a recurring hamstring issue that has limited his playing time in recent months. He has suffered three longer-term hamstring injuries in the last 12 months, with the latest one coming on 10 December.
James was taken off in the 27th minute of his team's 2-0 league defeat against Chelsea at Goodison Park. Earlier, he missed a chunk of games after suffering a hamstring problem in his team's season-opening 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
Following the surgery, James posted a photo on Instagram and captioned it:
"The footballing world knew I got injured but the procedure I would go down this time took slightly longer to figure out the best solution. I had surgery today to try fix my reoccurring hamstring issue, the recovery has started, both physically and mentally.
Since this injury I’ve had a good amount of support but significantly more hate and negativity. Believe me I don’t wanna be injured, I’m happiest when I’m playing football. Thanks to the understanding people that support me despite the highs or the lows, it goes a long way. Stay well, Reece."
Check out Reece James' Instagram post below:
Terry, widely regarded as one of the club's greatest-ever players, and Luiz, who played for Chelsea over two stints, were among several superstars who commented on the post. Terry commented with three blue hearts while Luiz wrote:
"Praying for u bro ! 🙏🏼❤️"
Luiz joined Chelsea from SL Benfica in January 2011 and stayed at the club until his move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer of 2014. After two seasons in France's capital, he returned to Stamford Bridge, staying for three years before his transfer to Arsenal.
The 36-year-old is currently playing for Flamengo in Brazil. Terry, meanwhile, spent 22 years at Chelsea, making 717 senior appearances. Neither of them shared the pitch in a competitive game with James.
But given the 24-year-old has been at Chelsea since 2006, they would have certainly crossed paths during their time at the club.
Who do Chelsea play next?
Chelsea's next Premier League game is against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday (24 December) at Molineux. The Blues come into this game on the back of a 2-0 league win against Sheffield United, which took them to 10th in the table after 17 matches.
Second-half goals from Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson did the job against the Blades at Stamford Bridge on 16 December. Since then, the Blues have also made the cut for the EFL Cup semifinals.
They beat Newcastle United 4-2 on penalties after drawing the game 1-1 in full-time. The west London giants are now slated to play Middlesbrough over a two-legged semi-final in January 2024.
