Ashley Cole faces a fight to be fit in time for the World Cup finals in South Africa after the Chelsea defender fractured his ankle in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Everton.

The England left-back is almost certainly out for the remainder of the domestic season and his place in Fabio Capello's squad for the finals this summer will depend entirely on his rehabilitation programme.

England open their campaign in South Africa on June 12 with a match against the United States, but Cole will have to convince Capello he is back to full fitness before he names his 23-man squad.

Cole's injury could provide his former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge with the chance to become Capello's first-choice left-back.

Bridge has been at the centre of a media storm involving former Stamford Bridge team-mate John Terry in recent weeks.

Terry was stripped of the England captaincy by Capello after newspaper allegations he had an affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend – one-time French lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel.

Chelsea have enough cover to cope with Cole's absence, with Russia international Yury Zhirkov and Portugal international Paulo Ferreira able to deputise.

Chelsea's defeat at Everton has left them just one point clear of Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Terry, reeling from the loss of the England captaincy and further revelations about his private life, was at fault for both of Everton's goals at Goodison Park. The club have given the defender permission to fly out to Dubai in a bid to patch up his marriage to wife Toni. Terry left Heathrow yesterday morning and will miss tomorrow's FA Cup fifth-round tie with Cardiff at Stamford Bridge.