Chelsea Captain Reece James is set to miss three months of action after undergoing knee surgery.
The defender, 26, was injured in training before Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth last weekend, and the decision was taken for him to have surgery.
James is now undergoing rehabilitation with Chelsea’s medical staff, with no time-frame given for his return.
Chelsea next travel to Everton in the Premier League before hosting London rivals Tottenham and Manchester United in a difficult run of fixtures. A trip to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup is sandwiched between those two home matches.
James has suffered multiple injuries over the past few seasons, causing him to miss several international tournaments with England since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
His injury record improved significantly last season, allowing him to play a prominent role in England’s World Cup campaign, during which they reached the semi-finals before winning the bronze medal match.
James was among the players to withdraw from England duty during the most recent international break.
The next international break begins at the start of November, when England are scheduled to face Croatia at Wembley Stadium.