Chelsea injury update: Reece James, Andrey Santos, Tosin Adarabioyo latest news and return dates | OneFootball

Blues set for major boost ahead of Leeds clash

With that in mind, here’s the latest Chelsea injury news and potential return dates...

Reece James

Against Wolves, Chelsea were without Reece James for the second match due to a “small knock” he has been carrying.

His injury history will have left some fans worried that he may be set for a period on the sidelines, but Rosenior has sought to play down those fears by sharing that James may return as soon as this week.

Having done “modified” training on Thursday and running on Friday, the Chelsea captain was still not deemed ready to make the trip to Molineux.

But the Chelsea boss believes he can be available for Tuesday’s meeting with Leeds at Stamford Bridge.

Reece James is expected to be back in Chelsea’s squad on Tuesday

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“Reece, he's so close and he should be fit for Tuesday,” Rosenior said post-match on Saturday.

“I know I said that today, but honestly, at the moment with the games that we've got, everything is day by day.

“He's really, really close. There's not a major problem at all and it'll be great to have him available for these on Tuesday.”

Rosenior added: “To be honest, Reece was out running yesterday. That just wasn't right and it's not right again. We're still in the midst of a really, really difficult period of games.

“It's just a knock. It's pain management issue. The amount of games that we've got hopefully comes back fully fit, fully rested for Tuesday.”

Potential return date: February 10 v Leeds (H)

Andrey Santos

Having undergone something of a rebirth following the arrival of Rosenior, who coached him at Strasbourg, Andrey Santos continued at the base of the Chelsea midfield alongside Moises Caicedo against Wolves.

It was a fairly comfortable afternoon for the young midfielder, who had little to do for much of the match against Wolves’s relatively quiet attacking unit, but Santos appeared to take a knock late on.

Andrey Santos went off after receiving treatment on Saturday

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He tried to play on before but was unable to, hitting the turf while signalling to the bench that he would need to be replaced, prompting Rosenior to withdraw him and send Jorrel Hato on in the 84th minute.

The Chelsea boss did not mention Santos having an injury after full-time in Saturday’s match, when he provided his update on James, but the Brazilian will likely need to be assessed before it is decided whether he can play a part against Leeds on Tuesday.

Potential return date: Unknown

Jamie Gittens

After limping off in the first half of Chelsea’s eventual comeback win over West Ham the weekend before last, Jamie Gittens subsequently missed the loss to Arsenal as well as the victory at Wolves.

Jamie Gittens limped off after being treated in the match against West Ham on 31 January

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Gittens, a summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund, was revealed by Rosenior late last week to have suffered a “tear in his hamstring” which is set to keep him out for a lengthy period of time.

"Jamie is looking a little bit more long-term,” said Rosenior. "That’s a real shame for him as, obviously, I’ve not worked with him for too long, but I know about his career and what an outstanding player he is.

“So that’s going to be a big miss for us."

Potential return date: Unknown

Filip Jorgensen

Back-up goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen made a return quicker than expected after being substituted at half-time of the Champions League win over Pafos last month when he was named on the bench against Napoli the following week.

However, Jorgensen subsequently missed out on more recent matchday squads against West Ham, Arsenal and Wolves.

Rosenior said early last week that the Swedish stopper was “close to being fit” and that he would “hopefully” be available by either the Arsenal or Wolves match.

Given neither of those options proved to be the correct one, perhaps Jorgensen - assuming he hasn’t suffered a setback - will be back on the bench at home to Leeds this week.

Potential return date: February 10 v Leeds (H)

Tosin Adarabioyo

Centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo was back at Cobham before the West Ham game doing light ball work and running, having suffered a hamstring injury against Brentford in mid-January.

However, given he was still not included in the matchday squad for the Wolves trip, as well as the fact that Rosenior has several other back-up defenders at his disposal now, it is possible that Tosin is kept back until the FA Cup fourth round trip to Hull City on Friday, rather than being rushed back to face Leeds.

Potential return date: February 13 v Hull City (A)

Romeo Lavia

One of Chelsea’s longer-term absentees, Romeo Lavia has been side-lined with a thigh injury from the early stages of the Blues’ 2-2 draw in the Champions League away at Qarabag in November.

Lavia has since returned to training and could make his comeback before the end of the month, if his rehabilitation remains on track.

In his latest update regarding the midfielder, on January 30, Rosenior said: “Romeo is in a really good place, and we just have to make sure this last stage of his rehab is really, really good.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Romeo Lavia during a Chelsea training in late January

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Dario Essugo

Having picked up a “really unfortunate injury” by, in Rosenior’s words, “slipping in training”, Dario Essugo is expected to remain out until sometime in March.

A week later, on January 30, the Chelsea boss said Essugo - who has suffered a series of injuries since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer - was “a little further behind” Lavia and Tosin in his recovery, seemingly confirming the thinking that we won’t see Portuguese midfielder again until at least next month.

Essugo, 20, is yet to feature for Chelsea this season

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Potential return date: Unknown

Levi Colwill

Finally, centre-back Levi Colwill is said to be progressing well in his recovery from the serious knee injury he suffered in pre-season and Rosenior has suggested the England defender could even be in line for a return to action before the end of the campaign.

Colwill (L) with Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo prior to the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City on January 4

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“At the moment, Levi’s in a really good place. He’s on the right track but I don’t want to put pressure on him.

“I spoke to Levi this morning. He's working so hard and what a professional he is. It's been brilliant to see him back on the pitch running. He's itching to get back but we need to make sure he feels 100 per cent perfect.