Chelsea ace Reece James responds after suffering World Cup injury blow

Chelsea defender Reece James has spoken out after it emerged he had suffered a knee injury that could potentially see him miss the World Cup campaign with England next month

Posted Sunday, October 16, 2022 by Dailystar.co.uk

Reece James is likely to miss the World Cup for England

Chelsea defender Reece James has taken to Twitter after it emerged he had suffered an injury that could potentially see him miss the World Cup with England.

The Blues right-back has been ruled out for eight weeks with the knee injury he suffered against AC Milan and subsequent scans showed he had suffered ligament damage.

James posted on social media on Saturday in reference to the blow: "The race against time is on… But we won’t give up."

Though the player appears to suggest there is a possibility that he could make the trip to Qatar, reports are less optimistic, with The Telegraph saying he faces a two-month lay-off and will not be flying out to Qatar "barring a miracle".

England manager Gareth Southgate will now have to consider his options for the right-back position as he ponders his 26-man World Cup squad, which is due to be announced on November 10.

Chelsea confirmed the news in a statement on Saturday that said: “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.

“After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks.”

But, indeed, James has not fully given up hope on a World Cup campaign with England yet, with the player suggesting it's a "race against time".

The youngster will be hoping to avoid surgery to stand a chance of going to Qatar, while also relying on Southgate to take him in the final stage of his recovery and opt to risk him where possible.

It's something that Southgate did with Harry Maguire in the European Championship.

James is not set to return until December 10, meaning he will miss the entire group stage plus the last 16 round, if England were to reach that point.

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker is also struggling with fitness, while Southgate has so far decided against using Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold for games.

Initial checks on Wednesday had prompted optimism over James’ injury, but the player was sent to see a specialist over the weekend after a scan on Thursday revealed ligament damage.