Chelsea hero gives verdict on Reece James injury after squad number celebration vs Aston Villa

Mason Mount offers verdict on Reece James injury after his squad number celebration against Aston Villa

Speaking to the media after the game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea star Mason Mount offered his verdict on the injury to Reece James after his squad number celebration against Aston Villa.

Mount scored both goals in a 2-0 Blues win over the Villa at Villa Park, with goals coming in either half. He celebrated the second goal by showing the number 24 with his fingers to the camera.

Number 24 is James’ squad number at Chelsea. The defender suffered a knee injury against AC Milan last week that is set to keep him out for a considerable amount of time and will make him miss the World Cup.

Speaking about the 22-year-old’s injury and how he would be a miss, here’s Mount (h/t Football.London):

“Yes, you know what Reecey brings. He has been absolutely brilliant this season. He stepped up and has been one of the best players in the team. To see that happen to him, as a very close friend of mine, is gutting to see. I was absolutely gutted for him.

“It is a big loss, but we have to step up as players. You can see what Azpilicueta came on and did today as a captain, he steps up and has a massive performance off the bench, and that’s what we need from all the players. We are such a strong team, and we need to step up during these tough periods when we know injuries will happen because of the amount of games that we are playing.”

There is no doubt that James will not just be a miss for Chelsea, but England in Qatar as well. His positional versatility on the right-hand side, coupled with quality on and off the ball cannot be copied by most players.

The Blues though are in a rich vein of form with five consecutive wins in all competitions. New manager Graham Potter has taken charge of six games and has delivered that run right at the start of his tenure.

As Mount mentioned in the quote above, Chelsea will depend on their captain Cesar Azpilicueta to step up in that right-back/right wing-back role, while we have seen Ruben Loftus-Cheek play as a wing-back too.

More Chelsea News:

• Manchester United join Chelsea in the race to sign AC Milan star Rafael Leao
• Chelsea star Reece James to spend four weeks in a knee brace
• Graham Potter provides the latest injury update on Chelsea star Thiago Silva

The Blues face Brentford away on Wednesday night before the big one against Manchester United on Sunday. Games will come thick and fast until the World Cup break, so the team cannot sit on its laurels and have to always think about what is next to come.