James out for minimum of five games - Bompastor

What the report says

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said Lauren James will be sidelined for at least the next few weeks after suffering a hamstring injury, making her a doubt for England’s World Cup qualifying play-off matches against Ukraine in December. The BBC Sport report said the 25-year-old was forced off in the first half of Chelsea’s 6-0 win over Charlton Athletic last weekend and has now had a scan that confirmed the injury.

Bompastor said James will miss at least five matches for Chelsea, including Saturday’s visit from Everton and a key league game against Manchester City next weekend. The manager said she expects to be without the forward until the end of the current block of fixtures, though the article did not give a precise return date.

The absence is a setback for Chelsea, but the club remain top of the Women’s Super League table and have already shown they can win without James this season. Bompastor also pointed to positive news elsewhere in the squad, with midfielder Lexi Potter available again after missing the Charlton trip.

More broadly, the injury matters because James is an important player for both Chelsea and England. Her fitness will be closely watched ahead of the winter international window, while Chelsea must now adjust in attack during a busy run of matches.