Jude Bellingham could miss a key opportunity to make his case to Thomas Tuchel that he should be on the plane to North America for this summer's World Cup.
The Real Madrid star was forced out of action just ten minutes into Real Madrid's victory over Rayo Vallecano on February 1 and was initially given a four-week prognosis for his recovery.
However, reports now suggest that Bellingham - who is ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now - could be out for up to twice as long.
Timing of Jude Bellingham hamstring injury bad news for World Cup hopes
That longer spell on the sidelines puts Bellingham's involvement in England's March friendlies in doubt.
The Three Lions are set for a pair of games at Wembley at the end of next month as they face Uruguay on March 27 and Japan on March 31 - the last England men's games on home soil before the World Cup.
That would come as a blow to Bellingham, who was kept out of England's World Cup qualification victories over Andorra and Serbia in September with a shoulder injury and was subsequently a surprise omission from Tuchel's squad in the October international break, despite having returned to fitness some weeks prior.
Bellingham was recalled to the last England squad in November, but had to settle for playing from the bench against Serbia as Tuchel kept faith with the players that had performed so well in the previous few games.
The 22-year-old was restored to the starting line-up to face Albania in the final World Cup qualifier, but Tuchel has demonstrated a willingness to stick with what has worked previously rather than automatically calling up high-profile players.
Bellingham's preferred attacking midfield role is particularly competitive at the moment, and Tuchel has been forced to make some tough selection decisions in that part of the pitch.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer has not played for England since June 2025, while Manchester City's Phil Foden was left out of three Tuchel squads in a row last year before being restored in November.
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers has made a compelling case for himself in the meantime with his excellent form both for the national team and at club level, while Eberechi Eze has been involved in every one of Tuchel's England squads since he first took charge of a game last March.
Missing the March international break would leave Bellingham with just one more opportunity to make an impression before the World Cup, with England set to face New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida in June.
The sides for those games are likely to be selected from an expanded provisional squad that will then be pared down to a final 26-man squad, including three goalkeepers.
