Reece James, the captain of Chelsea, had surgery and has subsequently shared an update on his experience on Instagram as he prepares for yet another extended period of time off.

The captain of the Blues has had difficulty staying healthy on a regular basis, and this month’s 2-0 loss to Everton at Goodison Park only made matters worse. In spite of ongoing injury problems, this is James’s first surgical procedure.

James made the decision to update his millions of Instagram followers on his health status after undergoing surgery with a message. The 24-year-old England player shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed on social media with the statement: “The footballing world knew I got injured but the procedure I would go down this time took slightly longer to figure out the best solution.

“I had surgery today to try fix my reoccurring hamstring issue, the recovery has started, both physically and mentally. Since this injury I’ve had a good amount of support but significantly more hate and negativity.

“Believe me I don’t wanna be injured, I’m happiest when I’m playing football. Thanks to the understanding people that support me despite the highs or the lows, it goes a long way. Stay well, Reece.”

Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged that the team was considering all of their options before to the procedure. He also discussed how tough James and others close to him have been hit with this most recent setback.

“We are all now thinking how we are going to approach the situation and trying to find maybe different solutions, different strategies,” the Argentine explained. “I prefer not to talk too much because it is a situation that is not a nice situation because I know how he is suffering and his family of course.

“He was so excited to be back again and to be fit to help the team in this situation and, yes, we need to be cautious in the way we talk.”

James has just once in his Chelsea career made more than thirty league appearances in a single season. At only 24, the right-back has plenty of time to turn things around, but his biggest barrier to a successful Blues tenure will undoubtedly be his ongoing injury problems.