The knee injury sustained by Reece James in Chelsea's victory over AC Milan is worse than initially feared and the wing-back faces a race to be fit for the World Cup in Qatar, football.london understands.
James went down in the second half of Wednesday night's 2-0 victory at San Siro following a fairly innocuous challenge on Theo Hernandez. The academy graduate required treatment on the pitch and did try to continue. But he was soon replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta.
The early indications were the injury wasn't serious. Not only was James able to join his teammates on the pitch to celebrate after the full-time whistle but he remained in Milan on Wednesday to explore the city rather than make an immediate return to Cobham for tests and treatment.
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However, James is understood to have undergone further scans yesterday (Thursday) and they have revealed the extent of the injury is worse than initially hoped. A decision by Chelsea's medical team has yet to be taken as to whether the 22-year-old will require surgery but with the World Cup in Qatar beginning in just over a month’s time, his place in the England squad is under threat.
James has been in sparkling form in recent weeks for Chelsea. The academy graduate scored and assisted in the home victory over AC Milan in the Champions League and played the key pass that led to the Blues' winning a penalty in San Siro in midweek. He also managed to curtail the threat of Rafael Leao over both games.
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