EXCLUSIVE: Wright-Phillips Claims Player’s Return From Injury Will Be “Massive” For Alonso And Chelsea
Ex-Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips thinks Moises Caicedo’s return to full fitness will be a major boost for manager Xabi Alonso.
Speaking exclusively to Chelsea News (courtesy of OLBG), Wright-Phillips said that the Ecuadorian international’s presence in the middle of the park cannot be overestimated:
“I think he’s massive for Chelsea. He has been for a number of years now, in terms of the protection in front of the back four and the ground he covers.”
“He also allows the attack to be a lot freer, because his reading of the game is phenomenal.”
Will Caicedo be fit to face Bournemouth?
The 24-year-old remains touch and go for the weekend. A chronic calf injury has limited him to just 14 minutes of football so far this season. He has not featured in Chelsea’s last four matches in all competitions.
Alonso vowed last month that Caicedo would not return to play before he was 100% fit. The Spaniard felt that he came back too early against Brighton and suffered a recurrence as a consequence.
Probably the best that fans can hope for is that the midfielder makes the substitutes’ bench against the Cherries on Saturday afternoon.
Other Chelsea injury news
Several players are in the same position as Caicedo heading into the weekend. Alonso is also sweating over the fitness of Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
It is believed the former is more likely to feature, as he was given time to recover from a muscular injury during the international break.
Pedro, meanwhile, picked up a knee injury against Hull City, and he was subsequently absent for the 3-0 defeat to Brentford. His estimated recovery time was a month, but the Bournemouth fixture may come too early for his comeback. We will find out more when Alonso holds his pre-match press conference later this week.