Abraham snub could spell the end of Chelsea career

CHELSEA striker Tammy Abraham’s future is in doubt again after he was axed from yesterday’s FA Cup semi-final squad.

MailOnline exclusively revealed yesterday morning that Blues boss Thomas Tuchel had not included the England international in his plans for the Wembley showdown, despite the fact the head coach was permitted to name nine players on the bench and make five substitutions.

Abraham was the FA Cup’s top goalscorer this season heading into the clash with four goals, but his omission will only serve to cast uncertainty over his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.

Abraham is fully fit and is said to have trained well since recovering from a niggling ankle injury.

Tuchel has used Abraham sparingly since arriving as Frank Lampard’s successor in January, but the striker has been in the team’s previous three match-day squads after recovering from the ankle problem.

But Abraham has been in and out of the German coach’s plans due to his injury concerns and nonselection, his last appearance was in the 1-1 draw at Southampton on February 20 — a game in which he was substituted at half-time.

Despite his lack of action, Abraham remains the club’s top goalscorer this season with 12 goals, despite the fact he has fallen out of favour.

However, Tuchel’s reluctance to use Abraham casts significant doubt over his future and it is becoming increasingly clear that the club could listen to offers for their academy graduate ahead of next season.

The 23-year-old scored 18 goals for Chelsea last season and at most clubs he would have been an automatic starter this term.

Indeed, he will be an attractive option for a host of Premier League and top European clubs this summer if Chelsea, as appears likely, look to offload their striker, who has scored 30 goals in all competitions since the start of last season — more than any other player at the club.

In a further dilemma for the forward, his lack of game time will cast doubt over his inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020.

He is already behind Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Dominic CalvertLewin and this latest setback will not help his cause.