Chelsea injury update: Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Jamie Gittens latest news and return dates | OneFootball

Blues face nervous wait for news ahead of FA Cup clash

Chelsea were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Leeds on Tuesday, as some players returned to the fold while others remained sidelined.

Cole Palmer returned to the starting line-up again, as did Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos.

But Rosenior again had to make do without another key senior member of the Chelsea squad as Reece James missed out, and was handed a fresh blow as Marc Cucurella was injured ahead of Friday night’s trip to face Hull City in the FA Cup.

Reece James

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

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

James has recovered from that issue, but has been struggling with illness ahead of the Leeds game.

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

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Rosenior said on Monday: "Reece is fit. A small issue, but he’s feeling unwell today.

“It's not a conspiracy, it's true. Hopefully he’ll be well enough to play tomorrow."

Rosenior added: "The staff have been down, my coaching staff, staff around the club.

“Fortunately only Reece from the players is affected at the moment. It’s something we’re just trying to work on at the moment.”

Previewing Chelsea’s Friday night trip to Hull, Rosenior said James had returned to partial training but was still working to shake off his illness: “We’ll make a decision tomorrow but it’s good that he’s back on the training pitch. He’s had a really bad bug but hopefully he recovers."

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

Marc Cucurella

Chelsea’s meeting with Leeds was a frustrating one for a variety of reasons, not least because Marc Cucurella had to come off early with a hamstring injury.

The Spanish left-back was withdrawn at the break, and Rosenior confirmed the blow at full-time.

“Unfortunately at half-time he felt his hamstring,” he said. “It wasn’t a tactical change — it was one that was enforced.

“Cucu is one who has been top, and hopefully he will be okay. We will scan him and make sure we find out if he is available for the next game.”

Speaking ahead of facing Hull, though, he could offer no update besides ruling him out of Chelsea’s FA Cup clash: "Marc is too early to know. Obviously he is definitely out for the game against Hull. We’re doing our scans and assessments.”

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 away to Hull City this week.

Potential return date: February 10 v Leeds (H)

Tosin Adarabioyo

Centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo is back in training after suffered a hamstring injury against Brentford in mid-January.

“Tosin is looking good,” said Rosenior on Monday. “He trained today, which is great to have him back in and around the group.”

Given Rosenior has several other back-up defenders at his disposal now, it is possible that Tosin is kept back until the FA Cup 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, Rosenior said on Monday: “We have a really detailed plan for him. He was back on the training pitch with us the last two days.

“It's been great to see him. He's been such a great player. We all know that.

“But what we have to do is make sure that when he's back, he's back for good. So we're just making sure that he gets the right plan over the next ten days to two weeks to achieve that.”

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.

“We expect him to be out for over a month, which is a real shame because he’s an outstanding player,” said Rosenior on January 23.

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.