London (Reuters)
Chelsea got a huge morale boost ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with West Ham United, after coach Thomas Tuchel said Reece James, Timo Werner and Jorginho were ready to play.
This trio missed Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Watford, as Chelsea retained the lead with 33 points from 14 games, one ahead of champions Manchester City.
Tuchel said that Mateo Kovacic with a thigh injury, Ben Chilwell and N’Golo Kante “both in the knee” will continue to miss, while Trevoh Chalubah will also be absent after injuring a thigh in the last match.
“Jorginho, Timo Werner and Reiss James are training and ready to participate,” Tuchel told reporters on Friday. It is very important that Reis and Jorginho return.
Striker Romelu Lukaku was substituted in the last two matches after returning from an ankle injury. In response to a question whether the Belgian international will start against West Ham, Tuchel said: I will not reveal my cards to you because it is part of the plan and I want the competitors to know it at the last moment. He trains hard and wants to start playing. I don’t know how long it takes for a player to get back to their best form after injury and that goes for Romelu and the rest of the players.
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