Aston Villa signed Colombia international Juan Pablo Angel from River Plate for a then club-record £9.5million transfer fee on this day in 2000.
The striker arrived at Villa Park from Argentinian outfit River Plate, eclipsing the £7m paid for Stan Collymore in 1997.
Angel was signed having scored 17 goals in 17 games for River Plate, but he initially struggled to adapt to life in England and only scored once before the end of the 2000-01 season.
Writing on The Coaches’ Voice website, Angel said: “Things weren’t easy. There is always a normal adaptation process that every player must face, but I went through a difficult personal situation away from the game.
“My wife became ill when we came to England and she spent almost six months in hospital when we had our first child.
“But the league itself had its own difficulties. The language, the weather, the physicality and speed of the competition.
“And, in terms of organisation, the club wasn’t really prepared when it came to bringing in overseas players from our region.”
Angel eventually settled in Birmingham, going on to score 62 goals over six and a half years and the highlight of his time at the club came under David O’Leary in the 2003-04 campaign, when Villa finished sixth in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the League Cup.
Angel added: “That season, I scored 23 goals in all competitions. The truth is that I didn’t really understand the scale of what that meant in a league like the Premier League.
“It was probably one of the best things that happened to me.”
After leaving Villa in 2007, Angel moved to the United States and represented New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA before returning to his first club, Atletico Nacional, where he retired in 2014.
A stellar showing from wide receiver Puka Nacua propelled the Los Angeles Rams to a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The 22-year-old had nine catches for a career-high 164 yards to go along with a touchdown.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was almost as impressive, throwing for 328 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover in the eight-point win.
After taking a 17-7 lead into the break, the Rams looked to be coasting to the finish line when a field goal and a rushing touchdown to Kyren Williams stretched their advantage to 20 points.
That quickly became 23 thanks to a Lucas Havrisik field goal at the start of the fourth quarter.
But New Orleans mounted a late charge, touchdowns to Juwan Johnson and AT Perry closing the gap to eight with just under four minutes left.
Despite the momentum shift, Los Angeles’ defence was ultimately able to compose itself and hold on for the Rams’ eighth win of the season.
New Orleans’ quarterback Derek Carr finished with three touchdowns and one interception as the Saints’ record fell to 7-8.
The Los Angeles Dodgers landed the prize of the free-agent market Thursday night, reportedly agreeing with Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a record 12-year, $325 million deal.
The deal comes after Yamamoto was posted and made available to MLB teams in November. The Dodgers paid a $50.6 million posting fee to sign Yamamoto, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Yamamoto, 25, is considered a frontline starter and leaves Japan as the most decorated pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball history.
He made his debut with Orix Buffaloes at age 18 and went on to record a 1.82 ERA in a seven-year career.
Yamamoto won the pitching Triple Crown last season, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He went 49-16 with a 1.44 ERA and 580 strikeouts over the last three seasons, winning Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young each year.
He is the first player since Ichiro Suzuki to win three straight MVPs in the NPB and only the second pitcher ever to win three, after Hisashi Yamada.
His contract is the largest for a pitcher in MLB history, topping the nine-year, $324 million deal Gerrit Cole signed with the Yankees in 2019.
Yamamoto’s record deal comes after the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal, but unlike that contract, Yamamoto’s reportedly does not contain any deferrals. It does have a reported $50 million signing bonus.
Reece Topley admitted he felt deflated at England losing their T20 series decider against the West Indies.
Two days after compiling their highest T20 total of 267 for three, England subsided to 132 all out in 19.3 overs on the same pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, which was much trickier to bat on.
Despite the best efforts of their bowlers England tumbled to a four-wicket defeat as the Windies were grateful for Shai Hope’s efficient run-a-ball 43 not out to get them home with four balls to spare.
On a trip that doubled as a reconnaissance mission for the 2024 T20 World Cup, England can take some positives away, not least from battling back from 2-0 down to set up a winner-takes-all showdown.
But a World Cup group stage exit has now been followed by ODI and T20 series defeats against the Windies and Topley acknowledged there can be no excuses at leaving the Caribbean empty-handed.
“I was so excited to turn up here because it was basically like a final and those are the games you want to play in and be on the right side of,” he said.
“It is gutting. There’s a lot of talk about Test cricket being the priority and there’s some faces missing here but when we come up against the guys, they’ve got a lot of their main players here.
“The bottom line is you want to win this series, especially as a player where white-ball cricket is my Test cricket so I want to win every series I can for England.”
This was the Windies’ fourth successive series win over England in all formats, built on Gudakesh Motie’s three for 24 with fellow slow left-armer Akeal Hosein taking two for 20.
Phil Salt followed up his back-to-back hundreds by top-scoring with 38 off 22 balls, only prised from the crease by a peach from Motie, who produced drift then sharp turn to uproot middle stump.
England struggled from then on and lost their last five wickets in 19 balls for 11 runs although Topley’s two for 17 and Adil Rashid’s two for 21 made sure the chase was anything but a cakewalk.
“The other day there was another wicket made up next to our strip but it was their decision to play on the same wicket again, probably knowing it brings spin into the game a little bit more,” Topley said.
“It’s been an amazing series, both teams have played some unbelievable cricket.
“We’ve taken a lot from this series, there’s the World Cup here next year but there’s also some fresh faces that have been exposed to top-level international cricket and some have taken to it really well.”
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While his efforts were in vain, Topley has enhanced his case for the T20 World Cup next June after being overlooked for the first two matches following the broken finger which ended his World Cup early.
“Obviously no one likes to be left out and I was thinking about why I was left out for the first two,” Topley said.
“But then I had a point to prove, almost, coming back in and I’d like to think that maybe I’d have justified being selected after the third game.”
Windies captain Rovman Powell was satisfied his team held their nerve after back-to-back defeats but admitted they are not the finished article for the T20 World Cup they are co-hosting.
“I think we are prepared for the World Cup but there are still areas where we need to sharpen up, especially our bowling,” Powell said. “Two games back-to-back England beat us badly as a bowling group.
“There is a lot of work for us to do, so hopefully over the next few months we can sharpen up and get those areas sorted.”
Roy Hodgson revealed he feels “more than satisfied” with what his injury-plagued Crystal Palace side have achieved despite conceding a late equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Brighton.
Substitute Danny Welbeck nodded past home debutant Dean Henderson in the 82nd minute to cancel out Jordan Ayew’s opener and ensure the rivals’ fifth consecutive Premier League meeting at Selhurst Park ended in exactly the same scoreline.
Palace, in 15th and nine points clear of the bottom three, are now winless in seven and now the unfortunate holders of the longest winless streak in the top flight after surpassing Nottingham Forest’s six, and next travel to Stamford Bridge after Christmas.
When asked if he was feeling any extra pressure due to the Eagles’ recent run of results and subsequent slide down the table, Hodgson said: “Well, I suppose that’s football.
“If I suggest that every time a team slides down the table the manager should feel under pressure, then I suppose I should feel under pressure, but I don’t believe that the players can be doing much more than they are doing at the moment, so if that is pressure, I don’t feel it. No, not at all.
“Don’t forget the next game is Chelsea. I mean, the bottom line is we have to accept that we know what we’re capable of. We also know that even if we bring the absolute maximum of what we’re capable of, if you play a Liverpool, Man City and Brighton it’s going to be a tough ask.
“If after those three performances you can sit here as I am doing tonight and be more than satisfied with what the team has achieved, maybe that counts more than just saying ‘well, you need the three points’ because who doesn’t need the three points? That’s the bottom line.”
It was a mistake by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, giving the ball away to Michael Olise, that ultimately allowed the hosts to work the ball to Ayew for the opener on the stroke of half-time.
Palace were without the Ghana international for Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City after picking up a pair of bookings against Liverpool and sitting on four yellows, and was swapped in the second half for Eberechi Eze, returning from injury but, Hodgson admitted, “not really as ready as we would like.”
Roberto de Zerbi also played Welbeck longer than he expected, breaking with the original plan for him to play closer to 23 minutes rather than a full half.
He said: “I can say we lost two points. Yes, if you watched the game we lost two points but to win the game we can’t make these mistakes. In the first half we played well, but without the right energy to score and we shouldn’t have conceded the goal.
“Because we considered it another bad goal, and we didn’t score, we didn’t have too many chances, just two big chances, but we are playing with many young players and the young players need time to improve, to progress.
“The policy of Brighton is to play with many young players and we have to accept and we have to be happy, to be ready to play, to work with these young players.”
Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma left Selhurst Park on crutches after injuring his ankle.
England’s miserable white-ball winter ended on an appropriately low note after they lost their T20 series decider against the West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
Two days on from compiling their highest T20 total of 267 for three, England subsided to 132 all out in 19.3 overs on the same pitch, with only the in-form Phil Salt able to get to grips with a tricky pitch.
He followed up his back-to-back hundreds by top-scoring with 38 off 22 balls but was bowled by a peach from Gudakesh Motie, who took three for 24 and was the architect of the Windies four-wicket victory.
Motie shared five of England’s top-six wickets with fellow slow left-armer Akeal Hosein to leave the hosts with a paltry chase although Reece Topley took two for 17 and Adil Rashid two for 21 in reply.
It was far from a cakewalk but Johnson Charles (27) and Sherfane Rutherford (30) cameos were followed by Shai Hope taking on the baton with an efficient run-a-ball 43 not out, sealing a 3-2 series win in style with a six.
England battled back from 2-0 down to force a winner-takes-all showdown, so there are some positives they can take ahead of their return to the Caribbean and United States for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
But they have followed up a World Cup group-stage exit with ODI and T20 series defeats to the Windies, who put in a much more disciplined performance with the ball after being flayed to all parts last time.
Jos Buttler lapped a delivery that was too full to short fine-leg while Hosein had his revenge after being dispatched for six by Will Jacks, who was castled next ball with a quicker one that skidded on.
Motie did the same with Salt, who was still hungry for runs and looked a cut above with five off-side fours and a brutal six high over long-off off the slow left-armer. But the following ball drifted to leg then spun sharply and uprooted middle stump, beating Salt’s prod and leaving him incredulous.
Harry Brook’s attempted lap sweep off Motie took a top edge, leaving Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali to rebuild in a stodgy 40-run stand in 38 deliveries. The pair both cleared the rope but could not quite click.
Moeen holed out for 21 and Livingstone offering a tame return catch on 28 to give Motie his third was the start of an England collapse which saw them lose their last five wickets in 19 balls for 11 runs.
Adding just 62 in the last 11.3 overs left England struggling but Topley drew a false shot out of Brandon King, while Nicholas Pooran was unable to ride the bounce of Chris Woakes and chopped on.
Charles had marked his introduction into the series with a couple of meaty sixes but he miscued a Rashid full toss to leave the Windies on 62 for three at halfway and the game in the balance.
Rutherford clobbered Rashid over long-off and whipped Sam Curran for another six before slapping to extra cover but Hope was anchoring the pursuit, eschewing risk but whittling down the target.
Curran delivered a superb penultimate over, conceding just two and getting Andre Russell to hole out to leave 10 needed off the last six balls, with Woakes entrusted at the death.
Jason Holder saw a cruel inside edge squirt through the in-field as he collected three before Hope delivered the coup de grace by carving a fuller and wider ball over the deep point boundary to get the Windies over the line with four deliveries to spare.
Teenager Luke Littler continued his dream PDC World Championship debut by defeating Andrew Gilding to reach the third round.
The 16-year-old was the toast of Alexandra Palace after beating Christian Kist on Wednesday and he was at it again 24 hours later with a 3-1 success against 20th seed Gilding.
The UK Open champion is 37 years older than Littler but it was the youngster showing the greater composure in the first two sets, with Gilding twice missing a pair of darts at double in the second.
Littler suffered a blip in the third but Gilding was unable to take his opportunities and the teenager clinched a spot in the last 32 against Matt Campbell.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Littler said: “When I went 2-0 up, I lost all my energy. When Andrew got the set back I was just thinking, ‘Just try and win it’, because I don’t want to go 2-2 on this stage. I was nervous as it is. I don’t know how I got over the line but I’ve done it.”
Scott Williams came agonisingly close to a nine-dart finish in a comprehensive 3-0 upset of seventh seed Danny Noppert while German Gabriel Clemens, a semi-finalist last year, defeated Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung 3-1.
The night finished with Australian 10th seed Damon Heta battling to a 3-1 victory over an out-of-sorts Martin Lukeman.
Earlier, former champion Rob Cross secured his spot in the third round with an unconvincing 3-0 win over Thibault Tricole.
Cross had reached the final of the Grand Slam of Darts last month but was not at his best against an opponent gripped by nerves.
Tricole missed 13 attempts at double during an error-strewn first set and, while he improved to go two legs up in the next set, Cross was able to fight back to show his class with an excellent 114 checkout to move 2-0 up.
It broke the resistance of French thrower and the eighth seed and 2018 winner Cross was able to breeze through the third set to ensure he will return after Christmas.
Zong Ziao Chen started day seven proceedings with a 180 from his first three darts and produced a superb 128 bullseye checkout in the next leg, but Mickey Mansell proved too strong and booked his place in round two.
Mansell won 3-0 and averaged 89.94 to set up a second-round meeting with fellow Northern Irishman Brendan Dolan on Friday.
In the final round one clash of the Championships, debutant Berry van Peer caused an upset to knock out Englishman Luke Woodhouse 3-2.
Woodhouse landed six maximums but lost out to Dutchman Van Peer in a high-quality encounter.
Van Peer was making his first appearance at Alexandra Palace after coming back from struggles with dartitis and was able to regroup impressively after he missed two match darts at 2-1 up before he landed double 10 in the decider to become the last player into round two.
Number 32 seed Madars Razma set up a third-round clash with defending champion Michael Smith after a 3-1 win over Mike de Decker.
Paul Warne wants his Derby team to be “braver” despite closing in on the top two with a 3-1 win over Lincoln.
Derby’s head coach brought on Kane Wilson for the second half and he scored and set up the third goal which sealed a sixth win in seven games.
Conor Hourihane gave Derby a 26th-minute lead with a drive from just inside the area after Lincoln failed to clear a Joe Ward cross.
But Ward gave away a penalty in stoppage time when he tripped Paudie O’Connor and Danny Mandroiu confidently put away the spot kick.
Wilson replaced Ward and he restored Derby’s lead in the 65th minute with a looping header from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s cross.
Wilson then delivered a precise pass in the 77th minute that sent James Collins through to score with a low shot inside Lukas Jensen’s far post.
Derby are now one point behind second placed Peterborough but Warne said: “We didn’t do enough with the ball first half, we didn’t play with enough personality, we weren’t brave enough.
“I would like us to play with a bit more personality. I just feel we have another gear and I just think we have to keep trying to get better.
“I was disappointed with how we started the game and I appreciate the opposition make it difficult but it still didn’t feel like we had the purpose I think we need to have in our play to go up as champions potentially.
“I want to get in the top two, I want the lads to want to get in the top two and they give me everything at times but tonight I didn’t think we were brave enough. You have to be positive with your decisions and I thought we were just a bit too safe.”
Lincoln head coach Michael Skubala said: “Disappointed by the outcome. We did well to get in at half-time at one all and I thought we started the second half brightly.
“But you can’t come away to places like this and concede on a set-piece. You work so hard, then concede on a set piece and then it’s always going to be a difficult place to try and push.
“I felt like at times we had moments where we could have been better with the final pass and in transition when we won it back we needed to be a bit tidier. We carried a little bit of a threat tonight but we still need to do better.
“It’s a tough place to come, they have experienced players and we’ve got to grow up in moments as a team but disappointed at the outcome.”
Lucas Vazquez scored an injury-time winner for 10-man Real Madrid against Alaves to send Carlo Ancelotti’s men above Girona to the top of the LaLiga table for Christmas.
Girona’s draw earlier in the evening meant Real knew victory would be enough to see them leapfrog the Catalan side but they played most of the second half with 10 men after Nacho was sent off for a bad challenge on Samu Omorodion.
The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw but Vazquez headed in a corner two minutes into injury time to seal a 1-0 victory.
Earlier, German Pezzella’s late strike earned Real Betis a 1-1 draw against Girona.
Artem Dovbyk swept home a first-half penalty to put Girona on course for a ninth win in 10.
Betis tried to force the issue in the second period but failed to register a shot on Paulo Gazzaniga’s goal until Pezzella’s rocket found the top corner late on.
Mallorca claimed a second home win in a row, defeating Osasuna 3-2 in an entertaining clash at the Iberostar Stadium.
Pablo Ibanez put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute but the hosts hit back quickly through Matija Nastasic and took control early in the second half with goals from Dani Rodriguez and Antonio Jose Raillo Arenas.
Osasuna threatened a dramatic comeback when Raul Garcia grabbed their second in injury time but Mallorca held on.
Sixth-placed Real Sociedad recorded a third successive 0-0 draw, this time against struggling Cadiz.
Lucas Vazquez scored a stoppage-time winner for 10-man Real Madrid against Alaves to send Carlo Ancelotti’s men to the top of the LaLiga table for Christmas.
Girona’s draw earlier in the evening meant Real knew victory would be enough to see them leapfrog the Catalan side but they played most of the second half with 10 men after Nacho was sent off.
The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw but Vazquez headed in a corner two minutes into injury time to seal a 1-0 victory.
The Real players came out of the tunnel in tops showing support for their team-mate David Alaba, who became the third Madrid player this season to rupture his anterior cruciate ligament in last weekend’s victory over Villarreal.
Real have been badly hit by injuries and Ancelotti was limited in his options, although he brought back Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.
Alaves were without a win or a goal in their previous three LaLiga matches and again started with teenage forward Samu Omorodion, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid.
Real immediately cut through the home side, with Jude Bellingham playing in Brahim Diaz, who drove towards the box before teeing up Federico Valverde for a shot from a tight angle that was saved by Antonio Sivera.
Alaves showed good intent with the ball, though, and they created a clear opportunity in the eighth minute but Luis Rioja’s shot from the middle of the box was blocked by Fran Garcia.
An 18th-minute free-kick from Toni Kroos evaded all of his team-mates and dropped just wide of the far post, while at the other end Samu headed straight at Kepa.
Real were struggling to create anything clear-cut and Sivera beat away a fierce shot from outside the box from Valverde seven minutes before the break.
The visitors’ hopes of forcing a victory were dealt a major blow nine minutes after the break when Nacho was shown a straight red card.
The defender went into a tackle from behind on Samu and raked his studs down the youngster’s calf.
The referee initially gave a yellow card but was sent to have a look on the pitchside monitor by the VAR officials and changed his decision, with Ancelotti reacting by sending on Aurelien Tchouameni for Luka Modric.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Real looked the side more likely to find a winner, and Rodrygo came close in the 75th minute, breaking away down the left and cutting inside but driving his shot high and wide.
When it did finally come, the breakthrough was from an unlikely source, with one of their smallest players, Vazquez, left alone in the middle of the box to head in Kroos’ cross.
Danny Welbeck headed home late in the second half to earn Brighton a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
A lapse by Seagulls goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen led to Jordan Ayew’s nodded opener just before the whistle blew to end an uneventful first half.
Eberechi Eze returned from injury as a second-half substitute and had a few chances to double his side’s advantage, but it was the visitors who dominated late on.
The result, which sees Palace still in search of a second league victory at home, also marked the fifth consecutive Premier League meeting the rivals have drawn 1-1 at Selhurst Park.
There was little excitement to boast in the opening stages, just a Pascal Gross effort dragged wide and a cross from Ayew – back in the starting XI for the first time since his controversial and costly sending-off against Liverpool – was easily plucked out of the air by Verbruggen as the clock ticked past 10 minutes.
Dean Henderson, making his home debut and second start for Palace in place of the injured Sam Johnstone, kept out Simon Adingra, Carlos Baleba’s attempt from the rebound sailing wide before the action largely returned to midfield, save a few runs into the rivals’ respective penalty areas calmly managed by both sides.
Kaoru Mitoma occasionally flashed down the left flank and Jean-Philippe Mateta fired straight at Verbruggen from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross and the hosts had a pair of set pieces, coming closest with the second when Michael Olise’s corner deflected off Ayew inside the six-yard box and into Verbruggen’s arms.
Billy Gilmour and Baleba did well to defend another scramble inside the 18-yard box where Chris Richards, Mateta and Olise all threatened, Jefferson Lerma trying next but unable to put a finishing touch on Olise’s feed, while Gross saw a shot saved.
Just as a goalless first half had begun to feel an inescapable act, Verbruggen, under pressure from Richards, gave the ball away as he tried to loft a pass but instead gifted an opportunity to Olise, who nodded across to Will Hughes, making his 100th Premier League start.
Hughes sent the ball back in the direction of Olise, who finely directed a cross towards the far post for Ayew to head home moments before the half-time whistle blew.
There was an uptick in pace and two second-half substitutions for Roberto De Zerbi, including Welbeck, after the restart, when Joao Pedro skied an effort and Lewis Dunk had a good chance to level soon after, rising highest to connect with Gross’ free-kick, but only able to direct his header inches wide of the far post.
A diving Henderson was able to push Gilmour’s attempt at squaring things up through a crowd, while Jack Hinshelwood was left disappointed after connecting with Gross’ cross but sending it well over the crossbar.
Hodgson introduced Eze who should have doubled his side’s lead but was hesitant and instead denied by Jan Paul van Hecke’s sliding tackle before sending another effort wide.
The Eagles desperately wanted three points but Brighton were in the driver’s seat in the closing stages, and their composure finally paid off when Welbeck beat Richards in an aerial battle and nodded into the top right corner, just evading Henderson’s fingertips.
There were chances for the Seagulls to walk away with all three points, but the hosts – including Henderson, literally, in one instance – clung on for the draw.
England were left in a spin as their hopes of recording a T20 series victory over the West Indies were undermined by slow left-armers Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein.
Two days on from recording their highest ever T20 score, England came up against a more disciplined bowling performance by their opponents on the same pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
Motie was the pick of the attack with three for 24, which included a peach of a delivery to bowl England dangerman Phil Salt, who followed up his back-to-back hundreds with 38 off 22 balls.
Salt was undone by drift then sharp turn as he lost his middle stump, although he was still England’s top-scorer for a third game in a row as they were all out for 132 in 19.3 overs in this series decider.
Five of England’s top-six departed to spin, with Hosein claiming two for 20, on a pitch that provided some help. Liam Livingstone (28) and Moeen Ali (23) put on a stodgy 40 for the tourists in the middle.
Where they had clubbed 20 sixes in their 267 for three on Tuesday, England amassed just five this time.
It was a particularly shabby end to their innings as they lost their last five wickets in 19 balls for the addition of just 11 runs, with all-rounder Andre Russell taking two dismissals in two balls.
England could not even bat out their overs as Sam Curran, one of only five batters to pass double figures, clothed Jason Holder to long-off to depart for 12.
Kane Wilson came off the bench to inspire Derby to a 3-1 win over Lincoln that lifts them to third in Sky Bet League One.
Lincoln started brightly but the first chance fell to the Rams in the 16th minute when Tom Barkhuizen crossed and Max Bird’s shot deflected behind off a defender.
But there was no stopping Conor Hourihane’s drive from just inside the area in the 26th minute which flew into the top-left corner after Lincoln failed to clear a Joe Ward cross.
Derby almost scored again five minutes before half-time through Craig Forsyth who fired inches past the right-hand post but Ward gave away a penalty in stoppage time when he tripped Paudie O’Connor and Danny Mandroiu converted.
Ward was subbed for Wilson at half-time and he restored Derby’s lead in the 65th minute with a looping header from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s cross.
Wilson then turned provider in the 77th minute with a precise pass that sent James Collins through to score with a low cross-shot.
Chelsea captain Reece James has undergone surgery and hit out against negative comments regarding his latest setback.
The 24-year-old limped off in the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Everton last week with a recurring hamstring injury and underwent an operation to try and solve the issue.
It is James’ third longer-term hamstring problem within the last 12 months which prompted negative and abusive messages from fans towards the England full-back.
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James took to social media to give an update following the operation.
He posted on Instagram: “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.”
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