Reece James' injury is worse than first feared and Chelsea are now weighing up whether he needs surgery - which could impact England's World Cup preparations.
The next 24 hours will be pivotal for the 22-year-old as he visits a specialist to decide whether to undertake his rehabilitation with or without surgery.
It follows a knee injury sustained in Chelsea's 2-0 away win over AC Milan, where he was taken off late in the second half after an awkward moment as he chased winger Rafael Leao.
James stayed in Milan after the match, which delayed the initial diagnosis but the physiotherapy department had been hopeful before the scan.
Unfortunately, the subsequent results have now raised the prospect of the defender missing the next few months of action, and potentially from linking up with the Three Lions in Qatar.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter told reporters on Friday: “He is due to see a specialist over the weekend. Until we get that information, there's not too much I can add. We will wait and see.”
Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker is already expected to be out of the upcoming World Cup with Newcastle's Kieran Trippier and Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters now in line to replace them.
Chelsea also have N'Golo Kante out injured, the midfielder having suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury with Wesley Fofana out with a knee issue.
