Chelsea injury news as the west Londoners look to build on their Premier League victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, taking on Erik ten Hag's Manchester United on Wednesday evening
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to recall some of his injured stars ahead of tomorrow evening's Premier League clash against Manchester United. The Blues head coach will be without central midfielder Conor Gallagher after the England international received a red card following two bookings during Sunday's 3-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
On Wednesday night, the west Londoners travel to Old Trafford, looking to close the gap on United, who currently sit five points above them in the standings. Pochettino has plenty of selection headaches ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, with Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku all nearing their respective returns from injury.
With that in mind, football.london takes a look at the latest injury news for Chelsea.
Romeo Lavia
Lavia has been nursing an ankle issue since he arrived at Stamford Bridge and he is still yet to make his debut for the Blues. Last month, the teenage midfielder was dealt a major setback on his road to recovery, pushing his return date back into December.
Lavia is back in contention and Pochettino was assessing his availability for the Brighton game. He failed to make the squad in the end but it was a good indicator of the progress on his fitness.
Possible return date: Manchester United (A) – Wednesday, December 6
Christopher Nkunku
After months of rehabilitation, Nkunku has finally returned to first-team training. He was in contention to feature against Brighton but ended up missing out on the squad in the end.
Pochettino said Nkunku and Lavia "are close" and look set to be involved in the near future. It may be a little soon for Manchester United with the quick turnaround in midweek.
Possible return date: Everton (A) – Sunday, December 10
Malo Gusto
Malo Gusto withdrew from the France Under-21s squad due to a knee injury. The 20-year-old defender underwent an MRI scan and it was later revealed 'a small lesion in the internal lateral ligament.
Although he did not make the squad against Brighton he was spotted back in first-team Chelsea training before the fixture, suggesting that he could be available for selection soon.
Possible return date: Manchester United (A) – Wednesday, December 6
Ben Chilwell
Chilwell suffered a knock towards the end of Chelsea's clash with Brighton in the Carabao Cup at the end of September. Unfortunately for the Blues defender, the club quickly realised that the muscle issue was worse than first thought and, more than a month later, he's still out of action.
What Pochettino said: "I cannot tell you [when he will be back]. It is difficult to know. He is away from the training ground now and we will wait for him to come back to see the situation. Hopefully, he can recover as soon as possible."
Possible return date: Late-December
Trevoh Chalobah
Chalobah has been nursing a thigh injury and is still yet to feature for Chelsea this season. He has been seen in training in the gym at Cobham during the international break but a return to action looks some way off.
Possible return date: Unknown
Carney Chukwuemeka
Chukwuemeka picked up a knock ahead of the game with Arsenal and then made the bench against Burnley, but the midfielder has since been hit with another setback. He has struggled with a knee problem which he suffered against West Ham United earlier in the campaign.
Possible return date: Unknown
Wesley Fofana
Fofana is set to miss most of the season after rupturing his ACL in pre-season training. In spite of this, he's returned to training on the pitches at Cobham.
What Pochettino has said: "It was nice to see him to run on the grass. For him, it was a massive motivation to be there and for us also to see him after a long time out of the picture. It is good that he starts to feel the grass."
Possible return date: April 2024
0 Comments