Watford have confirmed midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah is to undergo knee surgery.
The 22-year-old suffered the injury in training last week and missed his side's 2-1 Premier League win at Swansea City on Saturday.
Chalobah has reportedly had his knee in a brace and been using crutches in recent days and Watford have now revealed he will have an operation, although they do not expect him to be sidelined for a significant period of time.
"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," Watford performance director Gavin Benjafield said via the club's official website.
Chalobah, who signed from Chelsea in the transfer window, played all of Watford's first five Premier League games of the season.
He won a call-up to the England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Malta in August but did not make an appearance.
Head coach Gareth Southgate had been expected to select him again for next week's games against Slovenia and Lithuania.
