Chelsea injury news as the Blues will be travelling up to Old Trafford short of a few key stars.
Chelsea are set to travel light as they head up north tonight to Old Trafford in order to face Manchester United and Erik ten Hag for the first time this season under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues haven’t beaten the Red Devils in the Premier League since November 2017, but will be hoping that the momentum from their 3-2 win over Brighton can propel them over what has been a struggling United side in recent weeks.
However, they’ll need to do so short on a few stars – something they’ve had to get extremely used to over the first half of the campaign. It’s been nothing short of an injury crisis at Chelsea this season and more bad news came this week to pile on the misery as we get closer to kick-off.
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” but will miss out against Man United as the quick turnaround in midweek is too close for the pair to make their debuts.
Noni Madueke
Madueke was left on the bench for the clash against the Seagulls and did not make a substitute appearance, and he’s set to miss out after going down with a minor injury in training.
Possible return date: Everton (A) – Sunday, December 10
Lesley Ugochukwu
Ugochukwu was another who will miss out against Man Untied after picking up a minor injury after the Brighton match. The youngster was not included in the squad that faced the Seagulls but was nonetheless ruled out for the trip up north.
Possible return date: Everton (A) – Sunday, December 10.
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.
Pochettino said Nkunku and Lavia “are close” but will miss out against Man United as the quick turnaround in midweek is too close for the pair to make their debuts.
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.
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
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