James and Colwill ‘close’ to Chelsea return

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Reece James and Levi Colwill should return to action soon, boss Mauricio Pochettino says. 

James has not played for four months because of a hamstring injury, while fellow England international defender Colwill has been out since mid-February with a toe injury.

But both players trained with the rest of the squad this week.


Neither will be considered for Saturday evening’s away match against Aston Villa but they appear to be close to being available again.

“They are close. They are not available yet. Yesterday they were doing some partial training with the rest of the squad,” Pochettino said.

Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s standout performer this season, is back in the squad after missing the 5-0 hammering at Arsenal because of illness.

Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka are among those still sidelined, as is Enzo Fernandez, who will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on a groin injury.

Pochettino said: “Sterling is suffering with pain in his lower back and Carney feels something in his knee related to a problem before. We hope it’s not a big issue and he can be available as soon as possible.”

Asked about Chelsea’s obvious reliance on the 21-year-old Palmer, Pochetttino said: “In the end, it’s the reality. Cole is a key player for us and we struggled without him. That is the reality that we cannot hide.”