Chelsea being without Reece James until after the World Cup is "massive", according to journalist Paul Brown.

The £250,000 per-week star got injured against AC Milan last week and is now in serious danger of missing the showpiece in Qatar next month.

What happened to James?

James was enjoying an impressive run of form of late, but suffered a knee problem at the San Siro, meaning he'll miss the Blues' next eight games in all competitions before the season pauses in mid-November.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

Despite not being able to play for Chelsea, there is some hope that the England international will be able to play some part at the World Cup, although that will now rest on whether he's picked.

According to The Athletic, James won't undergo surgery on the issue and his participation in the Middle East will depend on how quickly his body can recover.

Chelsea said: "Following the knee injury sustained in our away match against AC Milan, Reece has received treatment from the Chelsea medical department and visited a specialist this weekend.

"After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks."

Regardless, James won't be able to feature for Chelsea until the Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth at the earliest, which is far from ideal for Graham Potter during a hectic schedule.

What did Brown say about James?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "It's massive for Chelsea to be without James. He's a brilliant player, I can remember last season when they lost him and [Ben] Chilwell at the same time, it completely ruined all of their attacking play.

"It was such a big loss to lose both of them at the same time, although obviously Chilwell is still around at the moment."

Which games will Reece James miss?

Thankfully for Chelsea, the two wins over AC Milan this month mean they're in a healthy position in their Champions League group and should be able to qualify comfortably without James, who'll miss the trip to Salzburg and home game with Dinamo Zagreb.

In the Premier League, he'll miss an extremely testing run of fixtures against Brentford, Manchester United, Brighton, Arsenal and Newcastle.

James will also be sidelined for the Carabao Cup tie at Manchester City in Chelsea's penultimate game before the season stops for the World Cup.

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