Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders has suffered a quadriceps injury while away on international duty with Belgium.
The 21-year-old will miss Friday night’s Nations League clash with Italy after picking up the problem in training.
Penders did not travel with the rest of Rudi Garcia’s squad to Rome and instead remained at Belgium’s training base in Tubize.
The severity of the problem has not yet been confirmed.
Mike Penders injury rules goalkeeper out of Italy clash
Penders is dealing with a quadriceps issue suffered during Belgium training, with reports from Belgium confirming he has been left out of the travelling squad for Italy.
Leandro Trossard has also remained behind.
There may be some encouragement for Chelsea in the fact Penders has stayed with Belgium rather than immediately returning to Cobham for treatment, although there has been no official indication of how long he could be unavailable.
The goalkeeper had been selected alongside Roméo Lavia for Belgium’s four Nations League fixtures, with Chelsea’s official international schedule listing games against Italy, France and Türkiye during the extended break.
Penders will now miss at least the first of those.
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The timing is frustrating for a player beginning to establish himself in Xabi Alonso’s senior squad.
Penders made his competitive Chelsea debut in the Carabao Cup victory over Luton, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
He was then handed another start against Leeds United as Alonso continued to use the Belgian in cup competition.
Emiliano Martínez remains Chelsea’s first-choice Premier League goalkeeper, but Penders has provided competition and valuable depth since remaining with the squad this season.
The injury also means Chelsea’s international-break tracker will require another update after already recording withdrawals involving Cole Palmer and João Pedro.
Belgium are due to face France on Monday before another two Nations League matches against Türkiye and France in early October.
Whether Penders can return for any of those fixtures will provide a clearer indication of the seriousness of the problem.
For Chelsea, the priority will simply be ensuring the young goalkeeper returns to Cobham without the quadriceps issue developing into a longer absence.
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