Ben Chilwell looks set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in Chelsea's win over Bournemouth last weekend.
The left-back limped off in the second half and manager Frank Lampard admitted after the game he could miss Chelsea's last four Premier League fixtures. "With a hamstring at this stage of the season, you'd clearly be worried [that he may miss] the remaining games," Lampard said.
And it appears Lampard's fears have been realised, with the 44-year-old admitting Chilwell's status is "a similar story" to Reece James and Mason Mount, who he confirmed last month would be unavailable for the rest of the season. James picked up a hamstring injury in the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid, while Mount has been sidelined after having surgery on an abdominal problem.
When asked about Chilwell ahead of Chelsea's game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Lampard replied: "Not fit. It's a similar story to Reece James and Mason Mount. I feel for him. We miss big players. Reece, Mason and Ben are big internationals."
With Marc Cucurella also currently injured, Lampard revealed that 18-year-old Lewis Hall is in with a chance of making his first appearance for the senior team since January. Hall was expected to be part of England's Under-20 World Cup squad, but Chelsea blocked him from going due to Chilwell and Cucurella's injuries.
"Lewis has a chance [of starting against Forest]," Lampard said. "I was tempted to put him on last week but the experience of Azpi was more suitable.
"He is a very good player, a really talented player. He needs to come out of himself a bit more. I have been really impressed and he is in the running for the last four games.
"It doesn't make sense [the timing of the World Cup] but from our point of view, having the power of keeping our player is important. He wanted to play for his country but that is a good thing. But also he has come through this academy and is desperate to play."
Hall was not the only player blocked from joining up with England's Under-20 World Cup squad, with Manchester City full-back Rico Lewis and Juventus starlet Samuel Iling Junior kept back as they have important roles to play for their clubs. Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also missed out after it was decided he would undergo surgery in an attempt to fix a recurring shoulder problem.
