Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has confirmed that Lauren James will be sidelined for a minimum of five matches due to a hamstring injury, raising doubts over her availability for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifying play-offs.
The 25-year-old forward was forced off in the 35th minute of the Blues’ 6-0 victory over Charlton Athletic. Subsequent scans revealed a hamstring issue that will keep her out until the end of the current fixture block. The absence rules her out of Saturday’s home clash with Everton and a pivotal Women’s Super League encounter against reigning champions Manchester City next weekend.
Her recovery timeline also casts uncertainty over her participation in England’s crucial play-off matches against Ukraine in December.
“She had a scan and she has an injury in her hamstring, so we won’t see her until the end of this block,” Bompastor stated. “The only one who will be missing is LJ.”
There was positive news elsewhere, with midfielder Lexi Potter returning to the squad after missing the Charlton trip following her England debut last month.
Despite the setback, Chelsea sit atop the WSL table, having demonstrated their depth with victories both with and without James this season. Bompastor emphasized the collective responsibility within the group to compensate for the loss.
“Of course we know how good Lauren is for us and for the team,” the manager added. “My job is to make sure I find solutions when some players are not available. The good thing is that when I looked at some of the statistics from last week, we are a team who are able to score through different players.
“The last game against Charlton, a lot of players were involved in scoring again. Also, I think every player on the pitch had a shot on goal. Even if it was not always a great one, at least all of the players who were on the pitch had a shot on goal. I think that’s a good thing and, again, my job now is to make sure I find the solutions without LJ on the pitch.”
