Christensen and Chalobah still out – but James steps up comeback

Andreas Christensen and Trevoh Chalobah will remain unavailable for Chelsea’s derby against Tottenham on Sunday.

Chalobah has returned to training but is not yet ready to be considered for selection.

Fellow defender Christensen is being lined up for a return to training next week, Thomas Tuchel said at a media conference on Friday afternoon.

Christensen suffered a back injury during the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham and since then has tested positive for Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Reece James has started light training as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.

But Blues boss Tuchel refused to discuss when James might return to action.

Tuchel said: “We have a timeframe but we will not make it public because otherwise we will just get asked about the timeframe.

“He is back on the pitch, which is the good news, but he is in individual training – so far away from being part of the squad for Sunday’s game.

“Trevoh Chalobah is back in team training but it’s also way too early to play the game on Sunday.”

Chalobah is recovering from a hamstring injury he picked up against Liverpool earlier this month.