Liam Rosenior has confirmed Dario Essugo is very close to a return and was set to come on against Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Essugo arrived in the summer in a deal worth £18.5m from Sporting Lisbon, and made his debut at the Club World Cup.
However, Essugo suffered a thigh injury whilst on international duty with Portugal under-21s, and has yet to feature this season.
Liam Rosenior provides Dario Essugo update
Essugo underwent surgery, and was initially expected to be out for around 12 weeks, but it’s ended up being a lot longer.
The 20-year-old was signed as back-up for Moises Caicedo, and given Romeo Lavia’s injury issues as well, both absences have left Chelsea short in the middle of the park.
Dario Essugo in action for Chelsea against Bayer Leverkusen.
Essugo has yet to feature for Chelsea this season. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
However, it appears Essugo is very close to a return, and Rosenior has now provided an update on the youngster.
“He was very close to coming on against Arsenal,” he told Chelsea’s website.
“Actually, I called him to come on and I changed because other things had happened in that timeframe.
“Physically some of the other players were tiring and I felt I needed to keep Enzo [Fernandez] and Andrey [Santos] in the middle of the pitch because Enzo was outstanding, and Andrey in his own way was very good.
“Dario’s close. I’m aware of his abilities, I’m aware of his strengths, but I want to give him the best possible moment to show himself in the best way coming back from a long time out because he is a very good player.”
Chelsea want a midfielder in the summer
Whilst Essugo is closing in on a return, it’s been reported one of Chelsea’s priorities in the summer is signing a new midfielder.
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Florian Plettenberg reports from a training ground.
Liam Rosenior on the touchline.
Behad Eghbali at a Chelsea match.
The Blues are looking to ease the burden on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, whilst Romeo Lavia is still struggling with injury issues.
Chelsea have been linked with Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo, and it will be interesting to see if the Blues end up signing any of that trio.