Ben Chilwell set to miss ‘at least two months’ with hamstring injury — report

Ben Chilwell faces yet another lengthy spell on the sidelines, for the third season running, with the Telegraph reporting that his hamstring injury is expected to keep him out for at least two months, or eight weeks. And that’s apparently the optimistic end of the prognosis, with a lengthier spell possible “depending on how the initial steps of his rehabilitation go”.

We might recall that N’Golo Kanté was in a similar situation with his hamstring this time last year before opting to undergo surgery that kept him out well into the latter half of the season. I suppose that’s then the pessimistic end of Chilwell’s current predicament.

UPDATE: Chilly himself has confirmed that the injury will keep him out for a while.

“Can’t catch a break. Believe me, I am more frustrated than you guys. All I can do now is help the team as best as I can from the sidelines, until I can get back to giving everything for the club on the pitch again. Ups and down but that’s life. Just focused on getting this club back where it deserves to be. Thank you as always for the love, Chelsea fans.”

-Ben Chilwell; source: Instagram

Unlike the previous two seasons, Chilwell’s absence may not be as keenly felt this year, with Mauricio Pochettino preferring to utilize Levi Colwill at left back(-ish). Chilwell had been playing further up front, but we do have plenty of attacking options there, including Mykhailo Mudryk and Ian Maatsen, who split duties in that role on Monday night. And of course Marc Cucurella can deputize as well in defense, and evidently on either side of the pitch!

That’s not to say that losing a key player like Chilly for such a long time is a good situation to be in. Get well soon, Mr. Vice-captain!