Chelsea and England learn Reece James fate as return date is set following Milan injury

 Chelsea and England have received a huge boost with Reece James only expected to miss one game after picking up an injury against AC Milan on Tuesday.

The right-back limped off at the San Siro during the second half of his side’s 2-0 win in the Champions League.

With the World Cup coming up next month and lots of club football to be played beforehand, fans of the Blues and Three Lions have been anxiously waiting to learn the extent of his injury.

Thankfully for the player, his club and his country, initial checks revealed that he has avoided serious injury.

According to the Evening Standard, James will miss Sunday’s match at Aston Villa but could return as early as next Wednesday against Brentford.

Failing that, the England defender will likely play against Manchester United in nine days.

Blues head coach Graham Potter should provide more clarity on James’ situation in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Thankfully, the 22-year-old should be okay for this winter’s World Cup with England.

Gareth Southgate is blessed with a ridiculous amount of depth in the right-back position and has some big decisions to make regarding his squad for the tournament in Qatar.

As well as James, the England manager can pick Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier.

Arsenal defender Benjamin White is also staking a claim to be on the plane to Qatar, having shone as a right-back at club level this season.

Walker is currently out with an abdominal injury which could rule him out of the tournament, however.

Alexander-Arnold is also injured but should return in the next few weeks.

Many believe James should be starting in Qatar due to his excellent ability going forward and defensively, whereas Alexander-Arnold’s defensive game is quite limited.

Former Chelsea player and assistant manager Jody Morris thinks James should be Southgate’s first-choice right-back.

On the player’s injury, Morris told Sky Sports: “It is concerning. Thankfully and hopefully the reports that are coming out from Chelsea is that it isn’t as serious was first expected. They are hoping that it might just be a jarring of the knee.

“Any time you lose or are worried about losing a player of Reece James’ calibre, it is going to be extremely worrying.

“Especially with the form he is in this year and the fact there are other players in the same position who have suffered injuries, it could be a huge blow for England.”

On if James would be his first-choice right-back at the World Cup, Morris added: “For me he would be. If you look at his form, his versatility, he can play right-back, he can play right-wing-back and he can also play on the right side of a [back] three.

“If you are looking at an all-round package as a full-back there are not many better than Reece James.

“Going forward, he’s an outstanding talent, producing not only goals and assists but he also helps control the tempo, a lot of the time the play goes through him. He assesses how the game is going.

“I think he is as good as anyone defensively in that position. So Reece James should definitely be a starter for me.”