Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Juventus, despite being a massive achievement by the men in Blue, was still bittersweet as we saw both N’Golo Kanté and Ben Chilwell substituted due to apparent injuries. The latter seemed the most worrying, as the left wing-back could not withstand weight on his knee as he left the pitch with help from the physios.
According to a report from the Telegraph, Chilwell’s knee injury is severe enough to take him out of contention at least until the end of 2021. Depending on the damage, it might be necessary to undergo surgery — in which case the 24-year-old will no longer be around until the end of the season.
The Blues do not want to rush into any decisions. Therefore they are willing to wait perhaps until New Year to do a new scan on Chilwell’s knee and assess whether it is best to let it naturally heal, or put him under the knife.
The solace here is having Marcos Alonso to fill in for Chilwell, at least until the winter transfer window. Another option is Saúl Ñíguez, although the Atlético Madrid player left Spain in part because he wanted more playing time as a central midfielder, and not out wide as it was his usual role under Diego Simeone in recent seasons.
Now all we can do is hope for a speedy recovery, with Alonso having very big shoes to fill at least until January when we will likely decide whether it is worth bringing a new left wing-back into the fold.
UPDATE: Ben Chilwell set to miss at least the rest of the year with suspected ACL damage. Chelsea prepared to delay a final decision on whether he can play again this season until the New Year. Story and details here: #cfc https://t.co/SgufofKeq7
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) November 24, 2021
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