Medical expert reveals Reece James knee ligament damage – ‘all of a sudden…’
The prognosis for Reece James’ latest setback at Chelsea was positive and he should be in line for a return to action in early February.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
James was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury he initially picked up back in November, and the 23-year-old suffered a comeback on his professional return in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth last Tuesday.
The Blues right-back lasted 53 minutes against the Cherries before turning and tweaking his knee, resulting in him heading straight down the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
Following his latest injury blow, James took to Twitter and stated that 2022 had been the toughest year of his life, while also opening up about the mental impact of his injuries.
Dinnery pinpointed early February as a realistic target for James’ comeback, and insisted that the news emerging from his latest setback is actually generally positive.
“The re-injury was to that LCL area, that lateral collateral knee ligament again, unfortunately,” the medical expert told Football Insider.
“The prognosis, overall, is generally quite good.
“You know, we’re looking at around about a month until his return.
“If you rule out the F.A Cup fixture later on in January, then the Premier League in early February for a potential return for James is realistic.
“However, you need to look at the wider picture with that – you need to look at his history.
“James would have satisfied all pre-injury metrics before his comeback and convinced the medical department and sports science department.
“He then got through that first sort of 50-plus minutes without any major issues, and then all of a sudden he made what looked like a fairly innocuous turn and that was it.“
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