James will have to prove his fitness to get a World Cup spot
Portsmouth manager Paul Hart has tried to allay fears over David James after the goalkeeper had to pull out of the loss at Stoke because of a calf injury.
England boss Fabio Capello has voiced concerns over James's knee problem and his worries will only heightened by the 39-year-old's latest injury.
"The World Cup is in June next year, a calf muscle is usually about three weeks," said Hart after the 1-0 defeat.
"I think David will be fit for the World Cup."
Hart replaced James with Jamie Ashdown between the posts against Stoke.
He added: "We are managing the situation at the moment and up until now he has been out on the pitch.
"He has to do some gym work to help him through it but he has been there and it has not been a real problem."
The knee trouble limits James's ability to train and Capello recently said the Portsmouth keeper struggles to recover after playing matches.
"Every time he plays, he can't train for two days afterwards," said Capello, who has already said he will only take fit players to South Africa next year.
"If he is fit, he will probably be with us," added the 63-year-old Italian. "But he has to be fit."
The goalkeeping position remains of serious concern to Capello, with less than a year to go to the finals in South Africa.
James last featured for England in April, while Ben Foster, who played against Brazil in the 1-0 defeat last weekend, faces a battle even to be second-choice keeper for Manchester United.
James underwent an operation during the summer to solve a problem with his shoulder and was expected to be fit for the start of the new season.
However, complications delayed his return, although the former Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester City player has played 11 of Pompey's 13 Premier League games this season.
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