Chelsea loanee Nathaniel Chalobah's injury diagnosed as a bruised windpipe

Good news and bad news for Chelsea loanee Nathaniel Chalobah, who had to be taken to hospital after suffering an apparent throat injury in Burnley's U21 Premier League Cup loss to Hull City on Tuesday.

Chalobah had just made his Premier League debut the weekend before and he was in the starting lineup for the youth match purely to ensure match fitness ahead of further top flight action.  The plan backfired, obviously, when he was forced off in the 80th minute and then loaded into the back of an ambulance soon after.

The good news is that the injury is not life-threatening.  The bad news is that in order to ensure that it doesn't become anything close to life-threatening, the midfielder will have to miss some time, the exact length of which is unknown at this point.

"Nathaniel won't be fit [for the weekend clash against Leicester City]. He hurt his windpipe on Tuesday after an arm to the throat, and there is some damage there.  He's not in any danger, but we can't put it at further risk of getting another whack.  We'll have it checked again once the swelling settles down, as it can effect (sic) your breathing."

-Sean Dyche; source: Burnley Express

There's hardly ever a good time for an injury, but suffering one just after finally working your way into the first-team starting lineup is certainly one of the worst times.

Burnley's injury crisis has now reached epic proportions, as Sean Dyche has been left with virtually no midfielders.  He may be one of the few managers in the Premier League to welcome the two-week international break with open arms.  But before then, he was a tricky away fixture to negotiate against a fellow promoted side, so good luck to him and good luck to young Nathaniel in his recovery.