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Chelsea have confirmed left-back Ben Chilwell will miss the World Cup due to a significant hamstring injury.
The 17-cap England international underwent a scan after sustaining the problem in the Blues’ Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.
Chilwell, 25, will now begin a period of rehabilitation before returning to first-team action.
A club 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.”
It is a further setback for the former Leicester man who did not play a single minute of England’s run to the Euro 2020 final despite inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s squad before missing six months of the 2021-22 campaign following knee surgery.
Chilwell reacted to the news on social media, saying: “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.
“It’s very difficult to take at the moment but I believe everything happens for a reason.
“I will do all I can to get back playing for Chelsea as soon as possible. Thank you for the messages of support.”
Chilwell joins team-mate Reece James on the sidelines, with Three Lions boss Southgate receiving another blow to his defensive options ahead of naming his 26-man squad for the World Cup next Thursday.
England’s first match of the tournament takes place against Iran on November 21 before games against USA and Wales.
Chelsea’s No25 could also be ruled out of a number of Premier League games when the English domestic season restarts after the Qatar showpiece.
Graham Potter’s men sit sixth in the table ahead of tomorrow’s London derby against league leaders Arsenal.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more details become available. Please keep refreshing the page.
