Reece James of Chelsea was taken off the field against AC Milan after hobbling off. At the San Siro, the fullback attempted to continue but fell to the ground while clutching his knee.
Now, England must wait to learn the full extent of James’ most recent injury.
The 22-year-old might not make the World Cup if scans indicate a protracted recovery.
Reece James limped off at the San Siro on Tuesday night, leaving Chelsea and England in suspense as to whether the right-back will miss time with an injury.
James hobbled out during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over AC Milan in the second half, giving England manager Gareth Southgate cause for concern five weeks before the start of the World Cup.
Graham Potter, the manager of the Blues, expressed his “hope” that his defense will recover fully but cautioned that it could take up to 48 hours.
Reece James suffers an injury during Chelsea’s Champions League match against AC Milan.
With seasoned right-back Kyle Walker fighting to recover from groin surgery in time for the tournament and fellow full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold sidelined with an ankle injury, England are already worried about Walker’s health.
On Tuesday night, there were encouraging indications that James’ injury is not severe. After the final whistle, he was on the field to applaud the opposing fans before tweeting: “Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one.”
Graham Potter, manager of Chelsea, also expressed optimism. It will take 24 to 48 hours to find out, so it’s too early to give you any more information, he said after the game. “We’re hoping he’ll be okay.”
He lands awkwardly, and you won’t know the extent of the damage until 24 to 48 hours later, said Joe Cole.
He will be a little sore and swollen tomorrow, but the fact that we all held our breaths in unison demonstrates how crucial he is to England.
He is essential to England. When we saw it, we groaned. I sincerely hope he’s okay, both for his sake and the sake of the nation.
Southgate will be hoping for good news because James was playing his way into the starting XI for the World Cup.
Potter commented on Chelsea’s victory over AC Milan, which propelled them to the top of their group in the Champions League: “To come here and win is certainly not easy, that’s for sure. Credit to the players, I felt they were really good. We were fortunate that they were reduced to 10 men, but generally, the performance was strong. It’s nice to keep a clean sheet once more, and getting three points is fantastic.
As you can see from the atmosphere, only one action can result in a goal before the stadium erupts and they believe they have an additional man once more. The idea is to try and control the game without being too passive.
It’s a delicate balance between maintaining possession of the ball, maintaining excellent structure, and attempting to threaten the goal and score once more.
After appearing to pull Mason Mount back in the box, AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori was controversially given the red card in the incident that resulted in Chelsea being given a crucial penalty.
Tomori appears to have made only minor contact with Mount, according to replays. Stefano Pioli, the manager of Milan, added: “I don’t think the referee had his greatest night.”