Reece James 'is in contention to start Chelsea's clash with Fulham next week while Ben Chilwell could be back on the bench' after recovering from injury in huge boost to Graham Potter

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Chelsea fullback 'Reece James could be available to start' their next Premier League game on Friday, while 'Ben Chilwell is expected to be fit' enough for the bench.

James was ruled out of the World Cup last year after suffering a knee injury in October. He made a brief return for the Blues against Bournemouth after Christmas, but was subbed off shortly after half time and has not featured since.

His Chelsea and England teammate Chilwell has also spent much of this season out with a hamstring injury, leaving Graham Potter without both of his first-choice fullbacks.

Reece James and Ben Chilwell have both been unavailable for Chelsea since before Christmas

Chilwell now looks set to 'return to the bench for their next league clash on Friday'

Chelsea's injury luck looks set to change, though, with the Telegraph reporting that James will be available for next week's game against Fulham, while Chilwell is likely to return as a substitute.

Speaking to the club website on Friday, Chilwell was upbeat about his return, as he said: 'I've been working now for 10-11 weeks to get back onto the grass and I've been back in training now for a few days, so I'm buzzing and really looking forward to getting back to the games and helping the team.

'Missing the World Cup, it's something that a few of the boys here have had to deal with and it's just about how we actually get over that. It's not what happened it's how you deal with it, and we've all stayed positive.'

James 'could start the game against Fulham' after being sidelined with a knee injury

The news will come as a massive boost to the Blues, who are currently without a number of key players including N'Golo Kante, Raheem Sterling and Edouard Mendy.

Results have been affected, with the club dipping to tenth in the table despite spending big on the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix.

They have now won once in their past five games, and scored just three goals in that period.

Chelsea's next league game could prove an important marker of where Potter's men are at with their first-choice fullbacks back involved, as they lost 2-1 to Fulham without them just two weeks ago in the away fixture. 

The Cottagers, who sit seventh in the league after an excellent first half of the season, will travel to Stamford Bridge on Friday.