Nathaniel Chalobah will miss a call-up to the next England squad, as well as a first return to Stamford Bridge for Watford's trip to Chelsea next month following the news he will undergo surgery on a knee injury.

The Hornets have confirmed the midfielder, 22, will go under the knife "soon" following a training ground injury suffered last week, which ruled him out of Saturday's 2-1 win at Swansea City.

But the expected date for his return still remains unclear, with performance director Gavin Benjafield stating only he expected Chalobah to begin training again "well before the new year".

It means the England youth stalwart is likely to miss out on games against Arsenal and Chelsea next month, with the possibility of also being unavailable for the Vicarage Road double-header against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at the end of November.