Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi return to full training

Injuries are a common feature of international breaks, with overworked players often returning with new knocks, not to mention extra fatigue, to their club teams from their worldwide adventures.

But a two-week break can also be a blessing — or a 5-day vacation with zero cares or Internet, if you’re me — especially if players get to rest and recover, such as in the cases of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James, both of whom returned to full training yesterday (Tuesday), as confirmed by the Chelsea official website, after nearly a month out with Achilles and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Hudson-Odoi hadn’t played since the FA Cup fifth round game against Luton Town at the start of a month, while James followed him to the treatment room not long after a Man of the Match performance in the very next game. It was briefly hoped that James might return before the international break, but that only resulted in a quickly withdrawn England call-up.

Now it looks like they are both back and should be ready to go for crunch time when the season resumes this weekend.