The decision was made to have surgery in a bid to resolve the recurring issue and was expected to be sidelined for three to four months. However, Pochettino hinted last month that James might not feature again this season.

Now, James has shared a cryptic message over his condition on social media. “No, I don’t know,” Pochettino replied when asked for an updated timeline on March 29.

“It’s difficult to say something because I don’t want you to go, ‘oh, [you said this].’ We will assess it week by week and we will see.

We hope yes, we hope that he will be available for the end of the season.” Chelsea returned to winning ways by demolishing Everton 6-0 on Monday, with Cole Palmer scoring FOUR in a record-breaking night at Stamford Bridge.

“An amazing performance,” said Pochettino after the victory. “I’m so happy and full credit to the players.

The perfect game, I think. We scored six and kept a clean sheet – a dream come true!

It [the clean sheet] is so important against a team that produces a lot and is very dangerous in offensive situations and set-pieces. “Today the team was fantastic.

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