Chelsea were given an injury scare when Jamie Gittens had to be taken off in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier between England and the Republic of Ireland.
It is the last thing that Enzo Maresca would have wanted to see, with the Chelsea manager already having several other injury problems to deal with right now.
For example, Chelsea will be without Romeo Lavia for a month due to an issue with his quadricep.
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Fortunately for the Blues, there has been some positive news about Gittens’ fitness.
Jamie Gittens celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.
Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens set to feature against Slovakia
England Under-21s face Slovakia next, and it looks like Gittens will be fit enough to play in that game.
According to The Sun, the winger did not report any issues with his knock on Saturday morning and will be part of Lee Carsley’s squad for Tuesday’s match.
Gittens is still trying to find his feet in the Premier League after arriving at Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund over the summer.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green thought Gittens was “comical” in the Blues’ 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month after missing a sitter.
Yet the 21-year-old was excellent in the 4-3 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the Carabao Cup, scoring one of Chelsea’s goals of the season so far.
It was a performance that reminded Chelsea fans of Gittens’ talent and the need to be patient with the youngster.
Jamie Gittens going off injured for England Under-21s
Photo by Stuart Leggett/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Jamie Gittens’ numbers vs Republic of Ireland
Against the Republic of Ireland, Gittens was not as effective as he has been in some of England Under-21s’ other recent games.
Before being replaced by Fulham’s Josh King just after the hour mark, the former Dortmund star failed to have a single shot or complete a single key pass.
Jamie Gittens vs Republic of Ireland U21s Total
Minutes 61
Goals 0
Assists 0
Shots 0
Key passes 0
Dribbles (successful) 4 (1)
Via Sofascore
Ultimately, it was not Gittens’ best match, but he is now likely to get the chance to redeem himself against Slovakia after avoiding a serious injury in the Republic of Ireland game.