Chelsea captain Reece James is set to miss three months of action after undergoing knee surgery.

The defender, 26, was injured in training before Chelsea‘s 5-1 win over Bournemouth last weekend, and the decision was taken for him to have surgery.

James is now undergoing rehabilitation with Chelsea‘s medical staff, with no time-frame given for his return.

Chelsea next travel to Everton in the Premier League before hosting London rivals Tottenham and Manchester United in a difficult run of fixtures. A trip to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup is sandwiched between those two home matches.

James has suffered multiple injuries over the past few seasons, causing him to miss several international tournaments with England since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

His injury record improved significantly last season, allowing him to play a prominent role in England’s World Cup campaign, during which they reached the semi-finals before winning the bronze medal match.

James was among the players to withdraw from England duty during the most recent international break. The next international break begins at the start of November, when England are scheduled to face Croatia at Wembley Stadium.

Manager Xabi Alonso, who has converted James into a full-time midfielder, denied the injury was going to force them into transfer market in January.

The Spaniard, 44, expects him back before January but wouldn’t put a specific time frame on his return.

He said: “It’s not going to be a two or three-week thing, it’s going to be longer and after that we will see. Before Christmas, after Christmas, time will tell.

“Things have to be done properly so that he feels right and is in the best possible condition. It’s a disappointment for everyone, for him, but we need to have a squad to deal with injuries.

“We support him, he will stay close to the team, he’s a great influence even when he’s not available, and we wish him the best recovery.”

Not only is James injured but last season’s vice-captain Enzo Fernandez joined Manchester City in the summer for a joint-British transfer record of £125m.

Alonso has given defender Levi Colwill the armband for the last two Premier League matches against Brentford and Bournemouth.

He explained: “We have Moi, we have Levi, we have players who take responsibility and carry that role in a perfect way. They have the support from the rest and the players respect them when they wear the armband, so it’s no bother.

“Their own personality. Each one is different. Levi is different from Reece, Moi is different, Cole, Hendo. Each one is different, Dibu (Emiliano Martinez) as well.

“That’s why it’s so important for me to have a mix of personalities, qualities and stages of their careers. I think we’re in a good place in that way.”

Alonso also confirmed that striker Emmanuel Emegha, who has yet to make his debut for Chelsea, remains not fit enough to face Everton on Saturday.