Chelsea winger Estevao Willian is set to miss this year’s World Cup because of a hamstring injury.
It has been reported that Estevao has been omitted from Brazil’s preliminary squad, which would end any chance of the 19-year-old being named in Carlo Ancelotti’s final 26-man list next Monday.
One source close to Estevao stated that the injury was not too problematic, but that has proven to be far from the case.
Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder #41 Estevao reacts
Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images
Estevao Willian’s camp claim Chelsea star will be ‘fine’ for World Cup
There are definitely some mixed signals coming out right now, with Estevao’s camp suggesting that he could still play at this summer’s World Cup.
Speaking to AS, his camp said: “He’ll be fine for the World Cup, but we don’t know about next week, when Carlo announces his squad.”
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However, if Estevao truly has been excluded from Brazil’s preliminary squad, Ancelotti will not be able to name him in his 26-man selection.
Estevao’s injury comes as a huge blow for Brazil, with the former Palmeiras man making a massive impact since breaking into the Selecao team.
Joe Cole recently spoke about Estevao, worried about the lack of experience he has around him at Chelsea.
How Estevao Willian’s promising start to 2025/26 season quickly derailed
This season started very positively for Estevao. By November, he had already scored goals against Liverpool and Barcelona, two of the biggest clubs in the world.
Unfortunately, because of his injury and all of the turmoil at Chelsea, Estevao was not quite able to build on that.
He will finish this season with just two goals in 22 Premier League appearances and will not be going to the World Cup.
Hopefully, the next campaign will be a better one for the Brazilian and Chelsea, though that will largely depend on who becomes their next manager.
Xabi Alonso appears to be the leading candidate, but nothing has been agreed yet. However, everything is pointing towards Alonso becoming Estevao’s new boss.
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