A reason has now been given for the substitution of Chelsea captain Reece James during the first half of today’s Premier League game vs Everton.

During NBC Sports’ coverage of the game, they reported that it was a hamstring issue that forced the England international off midway through the opening 45 minutes.

After missing the last two games as a starter for different reasons, there was optimism to see his name back amongst the XI selected by Mauricio Pochettino.

Whether it was a fitness issue or more of a punishment for his foolish red card against Newcastle United, he was only a substitute for the embarrassing defeat to Manchester United.

This appearance didn’t last too long though, with him being substituted without any real reason being clear.

However, it has now been revealed that it is a hamstring problem that has seen the 24-year-old replaced.

James Injury for Chelsea

Levi Colwill was brought on in his place, meaning the system required a certain amount of tweaking from manager Pochettino.

The England international shifted straight into left-back, meaning Marc Cucurella was pushed back to an unfamiliar right-back position.

The news is concerning for both James and Chelsea supporters, who will have been hoping he was finally beginning to see the back of his injury woes.

Knee problems have been the main cause for concern so far this season, however a hamstring issue would hark back to some of his previous issues that have already affected his career far too much.

If he is set for a prolonged period of time on the sidelines, the club will be sweating on the return of Malo Gusto from his own injuries, in order to avoid playing players out of position for too much longer.