‘A little setback’ – as Tuchel confirms two Chelsea players are out of Crystal Palace clash
Ahead of Crystal Palace clash on Saturday, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that the Blues will be without two key players.
Tuchel confirmed Reece James and Mason Mount will be unavailable for this game through injury.
However, Reece James has not played since 29 December against Brighton, and he is still yet to return to first team training after suffering with flu, hanging been out with a hamstring problem.
Tuchel is keen on seeing his right wing-back return to action, but has admitted that he can’t tell when James will be back.
The German said during his press conference: “It’s too long for all of us, for Reece, for us, we miss him a lot,”
“I had the feeling right from the very start that we had to deal with a big injury and unfortunately my feeling is right.
“We had a bit of a setback because he caught the flu in the moment when he was very close to re-joining team training.
“Of course you always have the risk with a very physical player like Reece is, in a big muscle injury that there can be a delay in the comeback, which we are in right now.”
“He’s still in individual training, progressing a lot, Doing all you can do individual training and the plan is he re-joins the group next week.
“It’s a long time now, we’re speaking about seven or eight weeks. I know that everyone in the physical department is doing an excellent job.
“I actually don’t know [when he’ll be back]. every time I would say now would be wrong and would be guessing. I hope he will be back in team training next week and I can give you more insight.”
As per Mount who picked up an injury in the World Club, Tuchel is hopeful that he’d be back for the Carabao Cup final on February 27.
“We will push for the League Cup final,” Tuchel said of Mount’s recovery.
“He has injured ligaments in the very first minutes of the [Club World Cup] final unfortunately.
“The Champions League seems to be very, very close,” he added on the midfielder’s prospects of facing Lille in our last-16 first leg tie at Stamford Bridge next week.