Why Reece James will miss the start of the season? The TWO reasons why the Chelsea captain is still unable to play

The new Premier League season is fast approaching, but it's the same old story for Reece James, who is still unable to play for Chelsea.

The right-back will miss the Blues' first game against Manchester City For two reasons.

Jaime He was named club captain last year but had a miserable season due to injuries and suspensions.

Unfortunately, a new campaign has not brought any change in his fortunes and the same problems have held him back once again.

Why isn't Reece James playing?

Incredibly, James is injured and suspended for the… match against man cityalthough he could miss the entire first month of the campaign.

This is because James was expelled during ChelseaLast year's penultimate game of the season against Brighton.

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

Normally, this would mean James would be suspended for the game against City and then the trip to Wolves the following weekend because a straight red card for violent conduct equates to a three-match ban.

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

This means he will also miss Chelsea's home game against Crystal Palace.

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

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James has had a lot of hamstring issues over the past four years and even underwent surgery in 2023 to try and fix the problem for good.

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

The problem has been described as a minor setback, but given the issues he has had with these muscles in the past, it is understandable that Blues fans are concerned.

He did not feature in the club's last friendly against Inter Milan and was seen limping down the tunnel while Chelsea were in the United States on their pre-season tour.

There has been no official update from the club or Enzo Maresca As for James' injury, but before playing against City, Maresca will surely be asked about his captain's physical condition.

But even if he wasn't injured, he wouldn't play in any of Chelsea's first three league games because of his suspension.