Chelsea captain Reece James has undergone surgery on a knee injury, the club have confirmed.
The Blues skipper missed last weekend’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League with an issue sustained in training during the international break.
Subsequent medical assessments led to a recommendation of surgery that Chelsea described as “minor”, which has now been completed successfully.
A Chelsea statement on Friday read: “Captain Reece James has undergone successful minor knee surgery.
Sidelined: It remains to be seen when Reece James will return to action for Chelsea
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“The 26-year-old was absent from Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge while medical assessments took place following the injury suffered in training. Those assessments confirmed surgery would be the required course of action.
“Reece has already begun his road to recovery and will be supported by the club's medical department at Cobham during this rehabilitation phase.
“Everyone at Chelsea wishes Reece a speedy recovery and will support him on his road to return.”
It remains to be seen when the influential and versatile James will be in a position to return to action for Chelsea, who travel to face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
He featured in all of their first six games of the season across all competitions under new boss Xabi Alonso, before an initial hamstring issue kept him out of the 3-0 defeat by Brentford before the extended three-week international break.
That initial injury meant that James was unavailable for selection by Thomas Tuchel for England’s quartet of Nations League fixtures.
He had been expected to return for Chelsea against Bournemouth, until the knee issue sustained during a training session at Cobham.
James has suffered regular injury setbacks during his career so far, having been blighted by hamstring problems over recent seasons.
The 26-year-old initially played as a right-back for Chelsea but has increasingly been deployed in a midfield role over the past 18 months.
James first joined Chelsea at the age of six and rose through the academy ranks, signing a new six-year contract in March that will run until the summer of 2032.
A further update on his injury and recovery time will be provided by Alonso at his pre-Everton press conference, which takes place at 1:30pm BST on Friday afternoon.