Enzo Maresca is expecting to be without defender Wesley Fofana for the rest of the year as he was forced off with an injury during Chelsea's 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday. The 23-year-old was replaced by Benoit Badiashile with half an hour left at Stamford Bridge.
Fofana has struggled with injuries for the past three years, suffering multiple long-term problems both at Leicester City and since moving to Chelsea. However, he has remained fit for all of this season so far, starting each of the 12 Premier League games he has been eligible for - only missing the defeat to Liverpool through suspension.
Maresca has not been using Fofana in midweek in a bid to ease his workload, opting to leave him out of the Conference League squad along with Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia. He was powerless to help things against Villa.
Fofana appeared to damage his hamstring after falling over a ball when battling Ollie Watkins in a defensive move. The Frenchman attempted to take the ball down but tripped and slipped in taking a touch. He did recover to thwart Watkins but was left on the floor holding the back of his right leg.
Chelsea medical staff came to the aid of Fofana on the pitch and he played on momentarily before having to come off. Fofana looked disappointed by the moment, pulling his shirt towards his face as he was helped off.
Maresca is now expecting Fofana to be out for a while. "Unfortunately it is bad news," he said speaking after the match. "A hamstring problem. These kind of things usually require three, four, five weeks. In this moment, we lose him for 10 or 12 games. In the way he was playing, it's a big loss for us but we have more players and we can find a solution."
When asked how problematic that is for his side, Maresca added: "It's a big loss, it's a big loss. He is doing fantastic but it is normal when you play this amount of games. Fortunately, it was his first injury of the season, but we will find a solution."
Chelsea have Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi as clear cover for the right-sided centre-back spot, while it was Badiashile who was picked to come on at SW6 here. Fofana has also featured at full-back when Reece James and Malo Gusto have been out this season.
Despite the setback, Fofana appeared to be in good spirits as he returned to the field to applaud the fans at full-time. He added an image to his Instagram story afterwards as well, with a snap of is head from the side during the game.
Posting an update on his fitness, Fofana said: "A slight muscle warning, as often happens after long injuries, nothing serious, the body is adjusting. We’ll come back stronger, as always. Trust your guy!"
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Keep warm on the sidelines