Chelsea striker Liam Delap has been given a recovery timeline after suffering a hamstring injury before the international break, while the club have also announced another blow
Liam Delap of Chelsea receives medical treatment during the win over Fulham
Liam Delap has a hamstring injury
Liam Delap is aiming to return to first-team football with Chelsea in time for the busy festive period after the club received mixed news. Delap suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham on August 30, sparking the club into immediate action.
The £30million summer signing pulled up clutching his right hamstring on the eve of transfer deadline day, leaving them with just Joao Pedro as a centre-forward. Winger Tyrique George filled in for the rest of that match, but Chelsea knew they needed back up.
After initially demanding that Nicolas Jackson return before signing with Bayern Munich, the Blues backtracked and ended up recalling Marc Guiu from Sunderland instead. The 19-year-old striker could be involved in the coming weeks, with Delap sidelined until at least November.
It was previously thought that the England under-21 international would be out for 'six to eight weeks', but The Athletic reports that the prognosis is now 10 weeks. However, there is some good news, with Delap not requiring surgery on the injury, meaning he should be able to return to training in November.
The 22-year-old will miss the start of Chelsea’s Champions League campaign and could miss as many as 10 Premier League matches. But he should be available by the time December arrives and the fixture schedule ramps up even more.
Chelsea have also announced that Dario Essugo has undergone surgery on a thigh injury. The 20-year-old midfielder suffered the injury while playing for Portugal under-21s and is now set for a sustained spell on the sidelines.
Delap’s injury is undoubtedly a bigger blow to manager Enzo Maresca, who handed him six appearances at the Club World Cup after his arrival from Ipswich. He also started two of Chelsea’s opening three Premier League games and his absence will place an even greater responsibility onto the shoulders of Pedro.
Andrey Santos
Liam Delap's injury puts more pressure on Chelsea's other forwards
The 23-year-old, who was signed from Brighton for £60m this summer, has two goals and two assists in three league games so far this season. He scored in the 5-1 win over West Ham and the 2-0 victory over Fulham and will be backed up by Guiu when they face Brentford this weekend.
The Spanish striker was due to spend the season with newly-promoted Sunderland and scored his first goal for the Black Cats during their loss to Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup. Guiu, who joined Chelsea for £5m from Barcelona last summer, made a further two appearances in the Premier League, both as a late substitute, but saw his stint in the north east cut short after just 26 days.
He has six goals in 16 appearances for Chelsea so far, with all of his strikes coming in the Conference League last season as Maresca’s side won the competition.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.