Chelsea and England will have to wait 24-48 hours to discover the full extent of Reece James’ injury, Blues manager Graham Potter has said.
The right-back, 22, limped off during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night, sparking fears ahead of the World Cup next month.
He appeared to land awkwardly on his right leg and, despite briefly carrying on, succumbed to the injury on the hour mark.
James was seen walking around and shaking hands at full-time – and Potter is hopeful it is not too serious.
“We’re hoping he’ll be OK,” the Chelsea boss said. “It’s 24 to 48 hours too early to give you anything more than that.”
But with Qatar 2022 little more than a month away, the scenes will bring concern to Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
England are already sweating on the fitness of Man City right-back Kyle Walker, who has undergone surgery on a groin problem.
Meanwhile, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is out for a minimum of two weeks.
James was enjoying another imperious performance on Tuesday night after a sensational start to the season for Chelsea.
He is a guaranteed starter for England at the World Cup after emerging as the Three Lions’ first-choice right-wing-back.
Asked whether this is a concern for Southgate, England legend Stuart Pearce told talkSPORT: “It certainly is. He’s in such a good vein of form. I was waxing lyrical about him in the first-half.
“His energy, his drive, his commitment. Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious.
“We saw him jar his knee. The fact that he carried on, don’t be fooled by that.
“With knee ligaments, sometimes you can have quite a serious injury and you carry on with it by running in straight lines.
“I really hope it’s only precautionary.”
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News Summary:
- ‘We hope he’s OK’ – Chelsea and England sweating on Reece James after injury during victory over AC Milan, with Three Lions right-backs Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold currently sidelined ahead of World Cup
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