Chelsea have announced that Reece James faces a period on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
On Sunday afternoon, the club captain was forced off before the half-hour mark of the Premier League fixture against Everton at Goodison Park.
With the 24-year-old indicating that he wanted to be withdrawn immediately after the issue arose, there was the hope that he had minimised the damage.
However, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea feel that the right-back will be absent from the first-team picture until at least February.
While that has not been confirmed by the club, they have acknowledged that James will not be available for the foreseeable future.
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A statement read: "Captain Reece James has undergone medical assessment following Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Everton.
"The defender was withdrawn during the first half at Goodison Park, and scan results have confirmed a hamstring injury. Reece will now begin his rehabilitation programme at Cobham."
The development is yet another fitness setback for James, who missed the 2022 World Cup with a knee injury and has spent several different periods on the sidelines.
Another hamstring issue prevented James from featuring from the second weekend of the season through to the fixture with Arsenal on October 21.
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Although James has returned to feature in seven of the eight Premier League encounters since then, he is in line to miss at least another six weeks of action.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is allegedly keen to add another centre-back, central midfielder and forward to his squad during the January transfer window.
James's injury is unlikely to change that plan with Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi and Marc Cucurella all able to deputise in the absence of their skipper.
The last time that James completed 90 minutes for Chelsea was the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on April 18.
Darren Plant
