Chelsea welcome Man United in the Premier League on Sunday and Thomas Tuchel will likely be without midfielder N’Golo Kante and left-back Ben Chilwell.
Both the players picked up knee injuries in midweek while playing against Juventus. Kante came off in the first half while Ben Chilwell had to leave the field in the second half.
The condition of both these players didn’t look too good and Thomas Tuchel had admitted that they will be doubts for Sunday’s game.
Tuchel said in his post-match press conference: ‘It worries me because he [Chilwell] was in such a fantastic moment, like Reece on the other side. They were in the best shape they could possibly be, so strong and so full of confidence and with such a lot of quality.
‘Chilly has a sharp pain in the knee and he was in a lot of pain. Now he feels a bit better so we will have an examination tomorrow to be more precise. We hope for the best and it’s not too bad news.
‘It’s the same with N’Golo. He twisted his knee a little bit but hopefully it’s not too bad. These were the only two sad things because N’Golo was again fantastic until the moment when he went off and Chilly is in a fantastic moment and is also important. Let’s hope for the best.’
Ben Chilwell and N'Golo Kanté are doubts for Chelsea vs #mufc after picking up injuries against Juventus. [mail]
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) November 24, 2021
Now in even gloomier news, the Telegraph are claiming that Ben Chilwell might have picked up an ACL injury which, if serious enough, will require surgery.
A surgery means Chilwell’s season is effectively over which in turn means that he is obviously going to miss the Chelsea vs Man United game.
Tuchel will not be too concerned with this position for Sunday’s game since Marcos Alonso can do more than an adequate job against a low-in confidence Man United side. But it’s the midfield area which could be an issue for the boss.
Mateo Kovacic is already sidelined with an injury so if N’Golo Kante also misses out then Ruben Loftus-Cheek will have to pair up with Jorginho in central midfield.
And to be very honest, these two might not have what it takes to keep a check on the runs of Ronaldo as well as Bruno Fernandes.
Loftus-Cheek has played 273 minutes across seven Premier League matches but he assisted only two goals. So playing him in the middle of the pitch will not be oozing confidence.
The manager also has Saul Niguez at his disposal but the loanee has hardly played this season which means RLC will be the safest bet alongside Jorginho.