Reece James has suffered a hamstring injury that casts doubt on his chances of making England's World Cup squad this summer. The Chelsea right-back was forced off during Saturday's defeat to Newcastle and will miss Tuesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Conservative estimates suggest the injury will keep the 26-year-old sidelined for several weeks, meaning he will also miss England's friendlies against Uruguay and Japan this month. England head coach Thomas Tuchel faces a difficult decision over whether he can trust James to stay fit for the tournament in the United States.
James missed the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 through injury. His latest setback comes after Chelsea had tried to manage his workload, but the defender started five of the previous six games. Chelsea assistant Liam Rosenoir said: 'With a hamstring injury, it’s never great. Hopefully we can get him scanned and find out the full extent.'
Tuchel's other right-back options include Tino Livramento, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Chelsea are 5-2 down on aggregate against PSG and also without Malo Gusto, who missed training on Monday due to illness. Pedro Neto is available after Uefa decided not to ban him for pushing a ballboy during the first leg.
