Lauren James to miss at least five Chelsea matches after hamstring scan, Bompastor says

Lauren James will be sidelined for a minimum of five matches after sustaining a hamstring injury that forced her off in the 35th minute of Chelsea’s 6-0 win at Charlton Athletic last weekend, manager Sonia Bompastor said, raising doubts over the forward’s availability for England’s World Cup qualifying play-off against Ukraine in December.

The 25-year-old was substituted in visible distress during the match and subsequently underwent a scan. Bompastor confirmed the diagnosis and timeline: "The only one who will be missing is LJ. "She had a scan and she has an injury in her hamstring, so we won't see her until the end of this block." The manager said James will miss at least the next five matches for the Blues, including Everton's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday and the fixture against champions Manchester City next weekend.

Bompastor addressed the squad’s response to James’ absence and her responsibility to adapt selection. Bompastor added: "Of course we know how good Lauren is for us and for the team. "Also, my job is to make sure I find solutions when some players are not available and not playing for the team. I think 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 we had 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."

There was positive news for Chelsea with midfielder Lexi Potter returning to the squad after missing the trip to Charlton; Potter made her England debut last month.

Chelsea sit top of the WSL table and have recorded victories both with and without James this season.

Chelsea face Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and then travel to play Manchester City next weekend; James’ enforced absence leaves her participation in England’s December play-off against Ukraine uncertain.