Chelsea fear Chilwell out for season
CHELSEA fear Ben Chilwell could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered in Tuesday’s win over Juventus — but will delay a decision on surgery until the new year. The in-form England defender, 24, will be sidelined for at least the rest of 2021 after limping off in the second half of the 4-0 Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge. Chilwell had a scan yesterday amid fears he has suffered a cruciate ligament injury. Chelsea will wait until January to assess his progress and decide whether he needs surgery, which usually results in a layoff of between six and nine months. The news would be a huge blow to club and country with the left back having scored four times this season and now in danger of missing most of the run-up to next year’s Qatar World Cup.
CHELSEA fear Ben Chilwell may require season-ending surgery but will delay making a final decision after a scan on the knee injury he suffered against Juventus. The in-form left wing-back was forced off of Chelsea’s 4-0 Champions League win on Tuesday, sparking fears he suffered cruciate ligament damage which would sideline him for between six and nine months. The 24-year-old was left on the ground writhing, ‘in a lot of pain’ according to manager Thomas Tuchel, after appearing to jar his right knee in a challenge with Adrien Rabiot. He had a scan on the injury yesterday but with the full extent of the injury not yet clear, Chelsea will wait to see how his knee responds in the coming weeks before deciding on an operation. Surgery would result in a lengthy spell on the sidelines that ends his campaign and such an outcome would be a huge blow for Chilwell, Chelsea and England manager Gareth Southgate with the World Cup less than a year away. Chilwell has enjoyed an impressive resurgence after failing to play at the Euros and starting the season as back-up to Marcos Alonso at Chelsea. He forced his way into the Chelsea side and has been a standout player in the last two months, scoring four goals for club and country. N’Golo Kante’s fitness is also a concern ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester United. He also came off against Juventus with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Callum Hudson-Odoi has responded to the challenge thrown down by Tuchel to increase his work-rate. Hudson-Odoi was one of three academy graduates to score against Juventus. Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah were also on target and they became the first trio of Englishmen to score in a Champions League game since Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Alan Smith for Manchester United against Roma in 2007. Hudson-Odoi said: ‘It’s special. It’s a nice feeling to know that all the academy boys are doing well.’