James has been struggling with injury issues since the start of his Chelsea career, despite impressing when fit. After returning from a hamstring issue that prevented him from starting the season, James returned to Maresca's squad after suffering a setback to his earlier injury.

Maresca has now admitted that he is unsure about when the right-back will return. Speaking to the media, the coach said: "Yes [he's had a scan]. The only thing we can say is that he is getting better. “We don't know how many days he needs. He's getting better."

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, James - who posted an emotional message on Instagram following his latest setback - has played in just 30 Premier League games. He is now set to miss at least two more and rumour mill has been churning with Chelsea reportedly being open to selling the once highly-rated defender.