Why is Reece James missing the start of the season? The TWO reasons Chelsea’s captain still can’t play

The new Premier League season is fast approaching, but it’s the same old story for Reece James, who still can’t play for Chelsea.

The right-back is set to miss the Blues’ opener against Manchester City for two reasons.

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James was made club captain last year but endured a miserable season due to injury and suspension.

Unfortunately, a fresh campaign hasn’t brought him any change in fortunes with the same problems stopping him once more.

Why is Reece James not playing?

Incredibly, James is both injured and suspended for the game against Man City, while he could miss the whole opening month of the campaign.

This is because James was sent off during Chelsea’s second-last game of the season last year against Brighton.

This meant he missed the 2-1 win over Bournemouth on the final day, and the ban extends into this campaign.

Normally, this would mean James was banned for the City match and then the trip to Wolves the following weekend because a straight red card for violent conduct is a three-match ban.

However, because this was his second red card of the season after earlier being dismissed in a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle, James is banned for four games.

This means he’s also set to miss Chelsea’s home tie against Crystal Palace.

However, he could miss even more games due to a new injury picked up.

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James has had lots of hamstring issues over the last four years and even had surgery in 2023 to try and fix the problem for good.

However, reports have emerged suggesting that the defender has suffered yet another hamstring injury.

The issue has been described as just a small setback, but given the issues he’s had with these muscles in the past, Blues fans will understandably be worried.

He played no part in the club’s final friendly against Inter Milan and was seen hobbling down the tunnel while Chelsea were in America on their pre-season tour.

There has been no official update from the club or Enzo Maresca regarding James’ injury, but ahead of playing City, Maresca is sure to be asked about his captain’s fitness.

But even if he wasn’t injured, he would play no part in any of Chelsea’s opening three league games because of his suspension.