Just as Chelsea thought they had escaped the era of Reece James injuries, the Blues have been sucked right back in.

It was confirmed on Friday that James had gone under the knife to correct an injury picked up in training before Chelsea’s five-goal rout of Bournemouth last weekend.

Alonso said: “We are all disappointed, especially for him. He wanted to have a good start after the international break but in the last training he had an injury.

Everton host Chelsea in a meeting of fifth and sixth in the Premier League table. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into their meeting on Merseyside on Saturday. Everton manager David Moyes was critical of his players after they let a 2-1 lead slip at Hull City on Sunday but a draw at the MKM Stadium was enough to maintain Everton's

It will be a clash between Chelsea's free-scoring football and unbeaten Everton's solid defence.