Chelsea announced winger Mykhailo Mudryk had sustained an injury prior to Chelsea’s league fixture against Luton Town last weekend.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino provided an update on the injury in his pre-match press conference before the Luton game. The Argentine said: “He won’t be available for tomorrow. He is a player we hope to help perform in the way we believe he can perform.”
Pochettino also added: “It’s not a big issue, we need to wait one week or maybe a few days,” giving hope of Mudryk’s early return to Chelsea fans.
Recent reports from the UK have backed up the manager’s words as it looks likely that the Ukrainian will be back to full fitness very soon. But he was not present in Chelsea’s matchday squad for their Carabao Cup game against AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday night.
No updates on the nature of the injury have been provided by either the club or the player.
Mudryk had yet another lacklustre display in his last game before getting injured against West Ham in the Blues’ 3-1 loss. He came on in the second half and struggled to make an impact on the game.
Pochettino defended the player, suggesting he needs more time. The coach said: “He played 45 minutes, he needs to have continuity. But first of all he needs to build his continuity and trust during the training during the week.”
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Even a minor injury is likely to be a setback for the youngster who has struggled to settle in the Premier League since arriving in January from Ukraine for a fee that could go up to €100 million.
There is a chance that the 22-year-old could be back for Chelsea’s Premier League encounter against Nottingham Forest on Saturday but this remains unlikely. There is a chance that we will only see the player back in the squad after the international break if he is not completely fit by Saturday.
Mudryk became the ninth first-team player to go down injured for Chelsea this season. They had already lost defenders Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile in the preseason before new signing Christopher Nkunku also went down injured.
Captain Reece James and Carney Chukwuemeka also suffered injuries after the season started, making for a long list of injuries at Cobham.
As mentioned before, The Blues will face Forest in their next Premier League game on Saturday and no injured players are likely to be back fit for the game at Stamford Bridge.
It is likely that the fans will have to wait until after the international break to see any returning players. Armando Broja and Mudryk remain the only two close to being back in training.
