Chelsea’s defender Reece James will be unavailable for the upcoming English Premier League match against Leicester City due to a hamstring issue.

Coach Enzo Maresca confirmed that the England international’s injury is yet another addition to the series of disruptions he has faced over the past two years. “We have just one injured player and that is Reece. Unfortunately, he felt something small, and we do not want to take a risk with him at the weekend,” Maresca stated on Thursday.

James, who missed the 2022 World Cup due to a knee injury, underwent surgery last year to address a recurring hamstring ailment. Since December 2022, he has only been able to make 18 starts for Chelsea, which has hindered the development of a player once hailed as one of England’s most promising talents. This season, he has only managed to start three matches.

In addition to James’s injury, Maresca is evaluating several players who did not participate during the international break, including Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill, both of whom withdrew from England’s UEFA Nations League fixtures against Greece and Ireland.