Kieran Trippier's chances of starting at the World Cup could receive a major boost, after reports that Reece James could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Chelsea boss Graham Potter has revealed that James will see a specialist over the weekend amid fears that his World Cup place could be in jeopardy.
Sportsmail have reported that James underwent a scan on a knee injury on Thursday, which showed he sustained ligament damage in Chelsea's 2-0 win over AC Milan in midweek. The report adds that he is likely to be ruled out for six to eight weeks, but Potter refused to jump to any conclusions.
"He is due to see a specialist over the weekend so, until we get that information, there's not too much else I can add unfortunately," Potter told Sky Sports News.
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"The rest would just be speculation from my perspective. We spoke yesterday and he felt not too bad, until you get these things checked, you never know.
"There's no point looking into the doomsday scenario yet. We just need to check and then go forward."
Gareth Southgate is facing a major injury crisis at right-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker also facing a race against time to return to full fitness before Qatar.
Alexander-Arnold is expected to be missing for up to three weeks, according to BBC Sport, after being taken off at half-time with an ankle injury in Liverpool's 3-2 defeat at Arsenal last Sunday. The 24-year-old has featured in just one of England's six internationals and was left out of their 3-3 draw against England last month.
The Liverpool right-back has come under fire for his defensive capabilities of late after the Reds' disappointing start to the season in the Premier League. Although Alexander-Arnold is expected to return before the World Cup, he is set have limited recovery time to stake a claim for a place in Southgate's starting XI.
Walker was withdrawn with a groin injury in the Manchester Derby earlier this month and underwent "successful" surgery last week. No timescale has been put on his potential return, although Walker and Man City believe he has a chance of being fit for Qatar.
Southgate is due to announce his provisional squad for the World Cup on Thursday, October 20, before whittling it down to a 26-man squad at a later date. Trippier has been left on the bench for England's last three internationals, including their latest UEFA Nations League ties against Italy and Germany last month.
However, the Newcastle star will be on standby as Southgate considers his options amid the uncertainty in the build-up to the World Cup. Ben White is another possible alternative for England following his remarkable switch to right-back at Arsenal, while Kyle Walker-Peters was also in the national squad in March.
Trippier has been a standout for Newcastle this season - starting in each of their nine Premier League games during a strong start to the campaign. He has captained Newcastle in eight of Newcastle's league games in the absence of club skipper Jamaal Lascelles.
The 32-year-old has been capped 37 times by the Three Lions and played in all but one game as England reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018. He also featured in five of England's seven games at Euro 2020, including their defeat against Italy on penalties in the final.
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