Watford and England star needs knee surgery

London, Sep 27: Young Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah will be out until the New Year as he needs surgery on his knee.

The Chelsea academy product is set to have surgery on a fractured kneecap after he picked up the injury in a freak accident in training last week.

Chalobah, signed for £5million from Premier League champions Chelsea in the summer, had made an impressive start to his career in Hertfordshire.

Marco Silva’s Hornets have been one of the surprise packages of the season so far, sitting sixth in the Premier League with 11 points from six matches.

News on the 22-year-old will come as a huge blow to Silva, who had started Chalobah in each of the first five games of the season.

A club statement read: “Midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah will soon undergo surgery on a knee injury he suffered in training last week, Watford confirms.”

Watford performance director Gavin Benjafield added: “Whilst we can’t put an exact timeline on his recovery, we are expecting to see him re-integrating into the squad well before the New Year.”

Chalobah’s excellent form at the start of the season saw him earn a call-up to the senior England squad earlier this month and the England manager Gareth Southgate must be disappointed with the news.

The England boss was expected to name him in his next Three Lions squad with a shortage of options at the heart of the midfield.

Danny Drinkwater remains injured, Jack Wilshere is yet to get regular football with Arsenal while Jake Livermore has been left out for Gareth Barry at West Brom.

Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson remain first-choice in the role but there are limited options beyond the duo.

England play Lithuania on October 8 and could secure their place at next summer’s World Cup against Slovenia.