England defender Reece James will miss the World Cup in Qatar that begins next month after his Premier League club Chelsea said on Saturday that he will be sidelined for eight weeks because of a knee injury.
James, 22, suffered the injury late in the second half of Tuesday’s 2-0 victory at AC Milan in the Champions League and was withdrawn after receiving medical treatment on the pitch.
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“Following the knee injury sustained in our away match against AC Milan, Reece has received treatment from the Chelsea medical department and visited a specialist this weekend,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks.”
Sources have told ESPN that the Chelsea defender will not require surgery.
The scenario is a huge blow to England manager Gareth Southgate, who is already sweating over the availability of Manchester City‘s Kyle Walker following a groin operation while Liverpool‘s Trent Alexander-Arnold is sidelined with an ankle problem.
The World Cup begins Nov. 20, with England kicking off their group campaign a day later against Iran.
James, who has also played in a back three for Chelsea, will miss key games for the London side, who are set to play nine more times before the World Cup, starting with Sunday’s league trip to Aston Villa.
James will miss key Premier League games against Manchester United and Arsenal as well as Manchester City in the League Cup before the season pauses for the World Cup and resumes in late December when Chelsea host Bournemouth on Boxing Day.
Information from ESPN’s James Olley was included in this report.
