According to the London Evening Standard, Chelsea secured a dominant 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, but the match's focus was somewhat overshadowed by news of another injury setback for Reece James. He was initially expected to be available for the team but was unexpectedly left out of the squad for the Stamford Bridge clash.

Ahead of the international break, Chelsea had several players whose fitness was a concern. However, Caicedo, Pedro, Cole Palmer, and Marco Parra have all recovered from their respective injuries or discomforts and featured in the match against Bournemouth.

Now, James is in a race against time to regain fitness for next Saturday's match against Everton, but that game might come too soon for him.

Below is the latest on Chelsea's injury situation and expected return dates for players.

Reece James

Last month, Reece James sustained a hamstring injury in training, forcing him to withdraw from England's national team duties. However, he did not return to Chelsea's squad for Saturday's match as anticipated.

After three weeks of rest, James resumed full team training and was initially expected to partner Moises Caicedo in midfield. Ultimately, he didn't even make the matchday squad.

Before the match, it was revealed that Reece James had suffered an injury in Friday's training session. Head coach Xavi Alonso stated: "Unfortunately, Reece picked up a small knock yesterday, and we will assess the situation over the next few days."

After the match, Alonso disclosed that James' injury was to his knee. He said: "He felt some discomfort."

"He underwent checks late on Friday afternoon, which revealed a minor issue with his knee."

"We need to confirm how long he will be out for, and his condition will be assessed weekly."

Currently, the exact duration of James' absence is unclear. However, Alonso's mention of a "weekly assessment" might suggest he will be sidelined for some time before returning to action.

Expected return date: October 24, home against Tottenham

Jamie Gittens

Jamie Gittens performed well during pre-season, but due to injury and other reasons, he has only played 56 minutes for Chelsea in official matches this season.

Gittens was called up to the England U21 squad during the international break, but he sustained a knock in the match against Kazakhstan and was later photographed on crutches wearing a protective boot. He subsequently left the England U21 training camp early to return to Cobham for further examination.

Alonso confirmed on Friday that Gittens is expected to be out for approximately three weeks. He stated: "The bad news from this international break is that he injured his ankle and is expected to be out for a few weeks."

Gittens will push to return before the end of the month, but time may be tight.

Expected return date: October 24, home against Tottenham

Emmanuel Emegha

The specific situation of Emmanuel Emegha is not yet entirely clear. The Dutch forward suffered a hamstring injury during pre-season but has since returned to first-team training.

Despite this, he was not included in the squad for the match against Bournemouth, raising questions about his fitness.

However, his omission could simply be due to fierce competition for attacking spots, as he is currently behind the in-form Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck.

Expected return date: October 17, away against Everton

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