Xabi Alonso has no intention of rushing Reece James back following knee surgery, though he does not expect to need to sign a replacement in January.
Alonso not rushing James' recovery after latest injury setback
Reece James could be out until the new year after having knee surgery, but Xabi Alonso is not setting a timeline for his captain's return.
James’ career has been plagued by injury since he first broke into Chelsea's first team, and he could be set for up to three months on the sidelines.
The right-back suffered a knee injury in training, which has seen him miss the Blues' last two matches – a 3-0 defeat to Brentford and a 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth.
Alonso refused to set a timeline for James' return or confirm reports on his expected recovery time but offered his support to the 26-year-old.
"We are all disappointed, especially for him [James]. He wanted to have a good start after the international break, but he picked up an injury," Alonso said in his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Everton.
"The surgery has been successful. We are supporting him.
"I wish him the best recovery. We won’t set timelines, but we expect him to be out for several weeks.
"It's not going to be short. Whether it's before or after Christmas, then time will tell. It needs to be done properly.
"We have a big squad to deal with injuries. We have four more games until the next [international] break, so I think we can manage well with the players that we have."
Alonso is yet to settle on a regular formation with Chelsea and had deployed James in midfield while switching between a back four and back three.
Against Bournemouth last time out, Pedro Neto played as the right wing-back, with Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson making up the midfield duo.
Chelsea's defence has proven shaky so far this term, with no side conceding more than their 13 goals.
In fact, the Blues have conceded in each of their last 22 league games, only once having a longer run without a clean sheet (31 games between November 1960 and August 1961).
But Alonso is confident James can help Chelsea while he is sidelined, and at this stage, does not anticipate having to dip into the market in January to bring in specific reinforcements.
"I don't think so; we expect by that time he will be back. It doesn't affect [that]," Alonso said when asked if he might need to sign cover for James.
"He is still a very important player. He is the captain, he is a great influence, and hopefully, after he recovers from this injury, he will be available for many games.
"He has a good mentality, and we need him."
