by Chelsea captain Reece James will come back much stronger from surgery on his injured hamstring and be fit in time for the European Championships, according to the world-renowned doctor who operated on him this week.
Speaking exclusively to Telegraph Sport from his clinic in Turku, Finland, Lasse Lempainen insisted that James will make a full recovery before the Euros and should not have the same recurring problems with the flank in his right leg. and worked on.
Lempainen, who works on Europe’s top football stars and learned his trade from the man who fixed David Beckham’s Achilles, also revealed that he will now play a big part in James’ rehabilitation which could include another trip to Finland for 24 years. -Old.
“We did the operation on his right side in Turku, Finland and it went very well,” said Lempainen, 45 years old. “We did a number of clinical examinations and considered the various options, and after careful consideration, we all agreed to have the operation. We are sure it was the right treatment decision and we are all happy now that we did the right thing. On Friday morning, we made an individual rehabilitation plan for Reece and now it’s time to make a good recovery.”
Lempainen says it is up to Chelsea to confirm how long right-back James is likely to be out, but agrees with estimates of three to four months and is confident he will be able to have plenty of time for next summer’s Euros , which could be a boost. for England manager Gareth Southgate.
“I’m sure Reece will be great before the European Championships,” said Lempainen. “Chelsea will decide how long it takes, but it’s more likely that we’re talking about that kind of period (three or four months).”
James has been plagued by hamstring problems throughout his career. Lempainen believes the surgery will reduce the risk of recurring injuries in his right leg and plans a rehabilitation program that he hopes will also strengthen the left side.
“Yes, indeed, the operation gives Reece a better chance of staying fit and not having a problem again and again,” said Lempainen. “We’re only talking about the right side, of course, because he had some problems before as well. Now, during the rehabilitation as well, especially in the last phase when we do the sport-specific rehabilitation, we will try our best to minimize these risks. The right hamstring will be stronger, yes.
“This is the first time I’ve worked with Reece. When I perform operations for high-level athletes, one of the basic requests is that I want to be involved during the entire rehabilitation process. It doesn’t matter if you do a good operation if the rehabilitation is not done properly and now I will be part of the whole rehabilitation process and I will monitor that.
“We will try our best during the rehabilitation process to assess the risk factors in Reece’s left hamstring and try to help his strength, mobility and sprinting technique, so that Reece can enjoy high level football again.”
As for whether or not James is likely to return to Finland during his rehabilitation, Lempainen said: “Both ways are possible, Reece coming to Finland again and me traveling to London. But also, we regularly return to play tests for high-level athletes.
“We have also spoken to Chelsea’s medical director about the rehabilitation process and the phase that will be involved in a particular sport which will be very important. As he starts training with the team again in the future, that is a very important step and we have talked about Reece coming back to Finland when the time is right to do those tests.”
Lempainen specializes in sports tendon injuries, having learned from legendary Finnish doctor Sakari Orava, who Real Madrid presented with a Champions League winners’ medal in recognition of his work with the Spanish club.
“I started with high-level athletes about 12 years ago when I was about 33,” said Lempainen. “My supervisor was Dr Sakari Orava. He worked on Beckham’s Achilles, for example. I have been working with him since my medical studies and have collaborated with him for almost 20 years. Now, I do more than 100 hamstring operations a year. Achilles 100 more.”
Lempainen, who has operations in Milan and Madrid, but works mainly from Turku, said: “I collaborate with many international football teams, for example today (Friday) I also worked on a player from AC Milan and the day before there was one. from Inter Milan.
“I work with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, then also with Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus. In the Premier League, Aston Villa and last year Nottingham Forest.
“I have been working with Barcelona for about eight years and with AC Milan for about five years. I do knee and ankle operations, but most of my international athletes seek my help when they have muscle tendon injuries – hamstrings, Achilles and groin injuries. Tyler Adams was a patient of mine a few months ago.”
