'Definitely out' - Liam Rosenior provides double Chelsea fitness update for Hull City tie | OneFootball

Liam Rosenior has confirmed Chelsea will be without key defender Marc Cucurella for Friday's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Hull City, but Reece James could make a return.

Cucurella was hooked at half-time during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Rosenior has since explained that the decision was because the Spain international picked up a hamstring injury, and the Chelsea head coach understandably did not want to take risks.

While the extent of the injury remains unclear, Rosenior has ruled Cucurella out of his plans for the trip to Hull.

IMAGO / Action Plus

"(For) Marc, it's too early," Rosenior confirmed on Wednesday.

"He's definitely out for the game against Hull. We are just doing our scans and assessments on him, and hopefully, it's not too long.

"Reece's still under the weather. We'll make a decision on Reece tomorrow (Thursday), but it's good news that he's back on the training pitch.

"In terms of injury, he's absolutely fine. But he's had a really bad bug, and hopefully he's recovered from that."

IMAGO / Marco Canoniero

James has missed the last three games for Chelsea, initially for a small knock, before having to extend his absence due to illness.

The good news is that the Blues captain is no longer nursing an injury, but it is concerning that the viral outbreak remains an issue in the squad.

The only other natural right-back option at Chelsea, Malo Gusto, has played almost three full games in February, so they would need James to return as soon as possible.

Rosenior will likely heavily rotate his team to face the Championship side, given that he will also have to keep in mind the upcoming Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday.