Chelsea have been handed another unwelcome injury concern after Jamie Gittens suffered an ankle problem while playing for England’s Under-21s on Friday night. The 22-year-old winger was substituted in the Young Lions’ 4-2 victory over Kazakhstan at Molineux and has been sent to Stamford Bridge for further assessment.
Gittens started the UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualifier but was brought off in the 39th minute after receiving a kick to the ankle. A former Chelsea academy graduate, Tyrique George, replaced him with Blues defender Josh Acheampong, scoring as Lee Carsley’s side fought back from conceding inside the opening three minutes. Later footage shared on social media showed the winger departing on crutches.
Carsley said the youngster would return to his club and not be assessed in the England camp, adding that the national set-up would not take risks with players that young. The former Borussia Dortmund attacker will thus miss the remaining Group D qualifiers against Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland. No formal diagnosis or recovery projection has been announced yet.
The setback only extends what has already been an extremely frustrating chapter for Gittens in West London. He arrived from Borussia Dortmund for £48m, but failed to find the net in any of his five starts in 16 Premier League matches last season. A move to Roma was mooted during the summer but did not come to fruition, and meaningful minutes under Xabi Alonso have been noticeably thin. The injury comes at an unfortunate time, as the international window was a useful opportunity for the winger to get some competitive rhythm.
Chelsea’s injury list lengthens ahead of Bournemouth clash
Gittens isn’t the only Chelsea player who has been affected by fitness during this international break. Belgium goalkeeper Mike Penders missed Friday’s 2-0 Nations League victory over Italy in Rome because of a thigh injury sustained in training.
Cole Palmer has withdrawn from the senior England squad, and Brazil striker Joao Pedro missed international duty after picking up an injury just before the break. Summer signing Marco Palestra has not yet made his debut, while midfield linchpin Moises Caicedo had only racked up 14 minutes of action this season before his injury got in the way.
The build-up of absentees is a blow for Alonso, whose side have picked up just one point from their last three Premier League games. Brentford comprehensively beat Chelsea 3-0 before the break to take their tally of league goals conceded in five matches to 12. The Blues resume their domestic campaign against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on October 10.