Chelsea and England defender Reece James could miss the World Cup with his knee injury apparently more serious than first feared, manager Graham Porter has confirmed. The 22-year-old full-back is reportedly readying himself to see a specialist and could be out for about eight weeks if a surgery is performed, putting the possibility of him featuring at Qatar 2022 in doubt.
Before Tuesday's 2-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro, James was substituted off in the early minutes of the second half after picking up an injury. While it was initially thought to be a slight knock, a scan on Thursday revealed that he had sustained major ligament damage, delivering a hammer blow to the plans of both Chelsea and England as far as their respective rosters are concerned.
According to the Daily Mail, the Three Lions' first-choice full-back was on crutches and wearing a brace yesterday. The player is now expected to see a specialist this weekend, with surgery said to be a possibility.
Addressing the media ahead of Chelsea's clash with Aston Villa on Saturday, Graham Porter issued an update on James' fitness. He said: "He [Reece James] is 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. He felt not too bad yesterday but until you get these things checked, you never know."
James has less than a month to put himself in the running for a call-up with Gareth Southgate set to name his 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. England will open their campaign against Iran on November and would most likely line up with Trent-Alexandre Arnold on the right side of the defense should James fail to recover on time.
