Lauren James ruled out for at least five Chelsea games with hamstring injury
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says Lauren James will miss at least the next five matches with a hamstring injury, casting doubt on her availability for England's World Cup qualifying play-offs against Ukraine in December.
Chelsea forward Lauren James will be sidelined for at least the next five matches after scans confirmed a hamstring injury, manager Sonia Bompastor has said, putting her England availability in doubt for the World Cup qualifying play-offs against Ukraine in December.
James, 25, came off in distress in the 35th minute of Chelsea's 6-0 win over Charlton Athletic. Bompastor said the forward will not return until the end of the current block of fixtures, which includes Everton's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday and a key match against champions Manchester City next weekend.
Chelsea received more encouraging news on the fitness front, with midfielder Lexi Potter back in contention after missing the Charlton trip. Potter, who made her England debut last month, gives Bompastor another option in midfield.
The Blues sit top of the WSL table and have won matches both with and without James this season. Bompastor pointed to the team's shared scoring as evidence they can cope, noting that many players were involved in goals against Charlton and that everyone on the pitch had at least one shot.
Bompastor acknowledged James's importance but framed her task as finding solutions in her absence, saying her job is to make sure the team adapts when key players are unavailable.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
