Reece James personal coach rages over his new knee injury
Reece James’ personal trainer James Ralph is furious about the right-back’s latest injury and said he is biting his tongue in a cryptic social media post.
The 23-year-old defender sustained the injury while playing against Bournemouth on Tuesday and signalled to be substituted after just 53 minutes.
The Premier League fixture marked his first game back for Chelsea after the knee injury that ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, James lasted just 53 minutes before being replaced by Chelsea’s club captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
James signalled to the bench to be substituted after injuring himself with what appeared to be an innocuous pass in the 49th minute.
James’ personal trainer, Ralph, was furious after the game and took to social media to make his feelings known.
He posted the following comment on his company Instagram page Jr_athletesedge: ‘I need to bite my tongue despite having ALOT to say…’.
Ralph – who has experience working with the women’s England Rugby and the GB Modern Pentathlon team – added three frustrated looking emoji’s alongside his text.
Ralph began working with James around 18 months ago – posting videos of himself and the right-back on his social media page.
Ralph – who claims to have a ‘no nonsense style’ – regularly shares content from in the gym, at James’ house and on the football pitch.
The pair appear to have a good relationship and are seen laughing in joking in between sets.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter appeared to be equally as frustrated with James’ injury – claiming he was ‘concerned’ about right-back directly after the game.
However, Potter did say they must wait ’24-48 hours’ to understand the full extent of James’ injury.
Potter said: ‘No not really, too soon. It’s obviously the same area, so we are concerned. We will have to wait for the next 24-48 hours.
‘There was a sort of chop and he felt something there. We will have to see the extent of it. At the moment we are just at a stage of hoping it isn’t as bad and keeping our fingers crossed.
‘The plan was not for him to play 90 tonight. He was going to play 60-65 minutes which was a buildup to what he did previously.
‘He’s disappointed, of course, at the moment. We just have to hope it’s not as bad as it was, and he can get a speedier recovery.’
When asked how important James was to his plans at Chelsea, Potter added: ‘Reece is a world class player. You see it from the outside, but it’s not until you work with him that you realise how good he is.
‘He’s an incredible player. He would fit into any team in the world. He can play in any team in the world, so any team would miss him.’
Nevertheless, Chelsea managed to secure a 2-0 win against Bournemouth despite James’ substitution.
