Chelsea have been dealt another injury blow with winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens picking up an ankle injury on international duty.
The ‘electric’ winger was forced off during England Under-21s’ European qualifier against Kazakhstan Under-21s on Friday.
Bynoe-Gittens, hoping to impress for the Young Lions and boost his prospects of regular minutes at Stamford Bridge, lasted just 39 minutes before being replaced by former Chelsea player Tyrique George.
For Chelsea, seeing their winger limp off is far from ideal, with Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra only just preparing to return to action from their respective injury spells, and Joao Pedro recently added to the injury list.
Bynoe-Gittens is the Blues’ natural back-up to Morgan Rogers on the left wing, so any prolonged absence would leave Chelsea a bit short of options in that area, with the likes of Geovany Quenda expected to profit.
While the initial hope is that his substitution was precautionary, Bynoe-Gittens was seen on crutches after the game.
England manager Lee Carsley has confirmed Gittens is being sent back to Chelsea for tests on an ankle injury and will miss the final two qualifying games.
Chelsea supporters and coaching staff will anxiously await further news, with an update expected in the coming days.
In Bynoe-Gittens’ absence, England Under-21s secured a 4-2 win to move six points clear at the top of Group D with two matches remaining.
A win or draw against Slovakia Under-21s would guarantee Lee Carsley’s side a place at next year’s European Championship, where they will aim to defend their crown.
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