Huge blow for the Lionesses! Chelsea star Lauren James could miss six weeks after pulling out of England squad ahead of fixtures with Germany and South Africa

James was named to Chelsea's starting line-up to face Twente in the Champions League on Thursday but had to withdraw just before kick-off due to a foot problem.

"In the last moment of the warm-up she felt something in her foot," head coach Sonia Bompastor said after the match. "At the moment it’s too early for me to say something else."

On Sunday, just an hour before Chelsea's Women's Super League clash with Tottenham, England then released a squad update which revealed James would need to withdraw from Lionesses duty due to what they described as a calf injury.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Chelsea's clash with Spurs, Bompastor said of James: "Lauren just picked up a calf injury so we'll see how long it will take for her to recover. She won't be with us today. She will be rehabbing for the international break and we'll see later how much time she will miss."

Asked how long the forward may be absent for, Bompastor responded: "Maybe five, six weeks. We'll see. [She's] not coming back for the next games, even after the international break."

Despite James' absence, England boss Sarina Wiegman is not planning to make any further additions to her squad at this moment. Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Aggie Beever-Jones and Jessica Naz are the other forwards she has called up for the October international break.

While James stays with Chelsea and continues her recovery, the Lionesses will take on Germany at Wembley on October 25 before heading up to Coventry for another friendly match against South Africa four days later.