Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has confirmed that Lauren James will be sidelined for at least the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury, raising concerns about her participation in England's upcoming World Cup qualifying play-off matches.

The 25-year-old forward is set to miss a minimum of five crucial fixtures for Chelsea, including:

• Everton's visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday
• A pivotal clash against Manchester City next weekend

James sustained the injury after leaving the field in distress during the 35th minute of Chelsea's impressive 6-0 victory over Charlton Athletic. Bompastor stated, "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."

In more encouraging news for Chelsea, midfielder Lexi Potter, who debuted for England last month, has returned after missing the trip to Charlton.

Despite the setback of losing James, Chelsea remains at the top of the WSL table, having demonstrated their scoring ability through various players this season. Bompastor emphasized the team's resilience, noting, "Of course we know how good Lauren is for us and for the team. My job is to make sure I find solutions when some players are not available."

Bompastor highlighted the team's scoring depth, stating that in their last match against Charlton, multiple players contributed to the scoreline, with each player on the pitch having a shot on goal. She expressed confidence in her team's ability to continue performing despite James' absence.