Reece James now looks unlikely to recover in time for the with the extent of his knee injury now ‘worse than first feared.’
After picking up the injury during ’s 2-0 win at AC Milan on Tuesday night, early indications suggested that it was not too serious.
The right-back attempted to continue after receiving treatment at the San Siro and although he was subbed off for Cesar Azpilicueta, the 22-year-old returned after full-time to celebrate the victory with his teammates.
But according to , further scans on Thursday have revealed that he may in fact require surgery and while no decision on that has been taken so far, his place in the England squad now hangs by a thread.
The World Cup in Qatar kicks-off in just over a month’s time with Gareth Southgate set to pick his provisional Three Lions squad in just five days on 19th October.
Right-back is an area that England are blessed with world-class options, however with James, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold all suffering recent injuries, Southgate now has a huge problem on his hands.
If he is out for the next month, James will also miss several key Chelsea games, including home matches against Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as a trip to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.
Blues boss Graham Potter is set to hold his pre-match conference at 1:30pm on Friday ahead of the trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, where more information is expected.
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