Chelsea defender Reece James ruled out for rest of season with hamstring injury

England right-back hit by another fitness blow as Blues take on Brentford in Premier League

Chelsea's Reece James tackles Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg at Stamford Bridge on April 18, 2023. AFP

Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that right-back Reece James will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

The Blues, who face Brentford at home in the Premier League on Wednesday, could also be without Mason Mount for the rest of the campaign. The midfielder will be sidelined after undergoing surgery for a pelvic issue.

James picked up the injury during last week’s Champions League quarter-final defeat by Real Madrid. He managed to finish the match against the European champions at Stamford Bridge but later underwent a scan that showed the extent of the problem.

The defender has been one of Chelsea’s best performers this season, but his fitness woes have limited him to 16 Premier League starts and he has been unable to string together a run of games since missing the World Cup with England last year.

Lampard, who has lost all four of his matches since taking temporary charge, said: “Reece James is unavailable. Probably for the season. Mason Mount probably the same. Potential for the last game of the season but probably not. Kai [Havertz] won't be available tomorrow.

“It’s a blow for all of us because they’re big players. Reece has a hamstring injury he picked up in the Madrid game, he got through the game but we scanned it in the following days.

“Mason has been carrying this pelvic injury for quite a while, it definitely predates myself. Medical staff have been trying, but we’ve got to a stage where he will have minor surgery.

“It’ll probably be a four-week recovery and we all know where that gets us to.”

Lampard refused to comment on stories that former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is in advanced talks to take over as Chelsea manager.

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“I’m not going to get involved in any future manager talk, because it’s all speculation. Simple as that,” Lampard said.

Other candidates for the role should a deal with Pochettino, the club's preferred candidate, fall through include Burnley's Vincent Kompany.

Lampard, came in as interim coach after Graham Potter was sacked on April 2. He is under contract for the remainder of the season, and despite there being little left to play for after they were knocked out of the Champions League, he insists the campaign is not over.

Chelsea are currently 11th in the Premier League but Lampard said: “For me it doesn’t [feel like the season is over]. I’m manager of Chelsea, I have a big link to this club and pride and so should the players. It’s absolutely not over.

“I don’t have a mentality that there’s nothing to play for. I was fortunate enough to be part of teams that were challenging for stuff towards the end of the season, but it’s not a given. We’ve been fortunate at Chelsea to have had it for 15 to 20 years. A lot of clubs with big status in the Premier league don’t do that.

“It’s important that when you have a long career you won’t compete every season, it’s not a given. It comes down to your personal pride and responsibility, wearing the shirt.

“We’ve got seven games, four against the top four [three] away from home. The run-in is really tough, there’s no doubt about that.

“My interest is in how the players react to that because they’re tough games. There’s always something on those games. I understand that and the players have to understand that.”