Reece James injury latest: Chelsea plunged into dilemma after update on defender which also affects World Cup hopes

Reece James is now at risk of missing the World Cup – and therefore the remainder of Chelsea’s fixtures before it – due to injury, it has been revealed.

James suffered an injury during Chelsea’s 2-0 win against AC Milan on Tuesday. Now, the Daily Mail has confirmed that he has ruptured his knee ligaments after scans were taken on Thursday.

According to the report, his injury is more serious than initially thought and he could miss between six and eight weeks of action, since he might even require surgery.

Hence, he now looks unlikely to be fit in time for the World Cup, which will begin in Qatar on November 21 for England with a game against Iran.

Before then, there are nine matches he could miss for Chelsea. Until the World Cup begins, they still have the following fixtures to play: Aston Villa (away), Brentford (away), Manchester United (home), Red Bull Salzburg (away), Brighton (home), Dinamo Zagreb (home), Arsenal (home), Manchester City (away) and Newcastle United (away).

In James’ absence, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta can probably expect a lot of gametime at right-back.

For England, there will be more concerns. Renowned for their depth at right-back, they have already seen their options diminish due to an injury to Kyle Walker.

If both miss the tournament, Gareth Southgate may have to rely on Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold. He hasn’t always been able to get the best out of the Liverpool man, who is also currently on the sidelines with a shorter-term injury.

Hence, it will be a blow for both Chelsea and England if James is going to miss a month or two of action.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Blues boss Graham Potter revealed that the right-back will have to see a specialist in the next couple of days.

Graham Potter provides Reece James injury update

The manager explained: “He’s due to see a specialist over the weekend. Until we get that, there’s not too much I can add. It would be speculation on my perspective.

“Let’s wait and see.”

Asked what James has told him about the injury, Potter replied: “He felt not too bad yesterday. But until you get these things checked, you never know.”

James has played in all five of Potter’s matches in charge of Chelsea. However, he now must make do without him for a while.

Potter has already been dealing with injury issues for N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana, whom he also provided updates on at his press conference.

On Kante, Potter said: “He is due to see a consultant at the weekend. It’s a setback and it’s not good news. But at this stage, I can’t give you anything more.”

Pressed further about his injury history, Potter added: “Historically there are things that have happened which is a concern. It’s a setback in the last stage of his rehab so that is worrying.”

And as for Fofana, he too will likely be out until after the World Cup. Potter confirmed: “He is progressing where he was. I don’t think we’ll see him before the World Cup.”

Chelsea are next in action on Sunday October 16, when they visit Aston Villa in the Premier League.

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