Chelsea's Lauren James faces several weeks out with a hamstring injury, manager Sonia Bompastor has confirmed, the BBC reported. The 25-year-old left the pitch in distress in the 35th minute of Chelsea's 6-0 win over Charlton Athletic.
Bompastor said a scan showed the hamstring injury. She said the club would not see James until the end of the current block of matches. According to the BBC, James will miss at least the next five games.
Those games include Everton's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. She will also miss a key match against champions Manchester City next weekend. The injury casts doubt on her availability for England's World Cup qualifying play-off matches against Ukraine in December.
Chelsea had better news on midfielder Lexi Potter. Potter, who made her England debut last month, is back after missing the trip to Charlton.
Bompastor said the club knows how good James is for the team. She added that her job is to find solutions when players are unavailable. She said Chelsea can score through different players. Every player on the pitch had a shot on goal against Charlton, she said.
Chelsea top the Women's Super League table. They have won matches both with and without James this season, the BBC reported.