- Ben Chilwell will not participate in England’s World Cup campaign due to injury
- The 25-year-old left defender underwent tests to determine the extent of his injury
- England’s World Cup team will be announced by Southgate on Thursday
Ben Chilwell, a defender for Chelsea, will not participate in England’s World Cup campaign due to a “severe” hamstring injury.
Chilwell injured his leg during Chelsea’s Wednesday victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League group stage.
The 25-year-old left defender underwent tests to determine the extent of his injury, and Chelsea announced on Saturday that he will not be ready for the World Cup, which begins on November 20 in Qatar.
The Chelsea statement read, “Following the injury sustained in our recent game against Dinamo Zagreb, Ben has undergone a scan on his hamstring,”
“Results show that Ben has suffered a significant injury and the defender is unfortunately expected to miss the World Cup.
“Ben will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club´s medical department.”
Chilwell, who has played for England 17 times, was anticipated to face off against Luke Shaw for the starting left-back position for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.
Despite not playing in the competition, he was a member of the England team that placed second at the 2021 European Championship.
After recovering from a damaged cruciate ligament in November of last year that kept him out until May, Chilwell has rediscovered his best form this season.
“Following my ACL injury I worked so hard to make sure I was ready for the World Cup. It has always been a dream of mine. Unfortunately, this won´t be possible following my scan results. I´ll do all I can to get back playing for Chelsea ASAP. Thanks for the messages of support,” Chilwell said on Twitter.
Following my ACL injury I worked so hard to make sure I was ready for the World Cup. It has always been a dream of mine. Unfortunately, this won’t be possible following my scan results. I’ll do all I can to get back playing for Chelsea ASAP. Thanks for the messages of support 💙 pic.twitter.com/2H01Whhfhn
— Ben Chilwell (@BenChilwell) November 5, 2022
England’s World Cup team will be announced by Southgate on Thursday, and their opening group game will be against Iran on November 21.
The latest setback for both Chelsea and England is the injury to right-back Reece James of the Blues, who must demonstrate his readiness quickly after sustaining a knee injury.
Kyle Walker, a right back for Manchester City who underwent groyne surgery, and Kalvin Phillips, a midfielder for City who has played very little this season due to a dislocated shoulder, are two other players for whom Southgate is concerned about injuries.
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