Chelsea are awaiting further medical assessments after Maxence Lacroix was forced off with a hamstring issue during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup fourth-round clash against Liverpool at Anfield. The Frenchman was substituted during stoppage time of the first half after pulling up shortly after Cody Gakpo’s penalty in the 43rd minute. The Blues eventually lost 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Lacroix fell to the ground clutching the back of his left thigh and was treated on the pitch before slowly walking off down the tunnel accompanied by club medical staff. The 26-year-old joined from Crystal Palace in the summer in a reported £52 million deal. He has become one of Xabi Alonso’s most reliable choices, featuring in all eight of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season, starting seven of them and completing the full 90 minutes in each of the last four.
Alonso told the club’s official site after the match:
‘It’s too early to tell how serious it is. Unfortunately he felt something in his hamstring and we need a couple of days to check what the injury’s going to be.’
This puts the Blues in a tricky spot ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday. They are already missing João Pedro, who is expected to be out for a number of weeks with a thigh injury, alongside Reece James, Jamie Gittens and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who had surgery on a broken jaw.
If Lacroix is unavailable, Alonso can look to Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Josh Acheampong or Jorrel Hato at centre back. Chelsea currently sit in fifth place in the Premier League with 13 points in eight games after losing 2-0 at home to Tottenham last weekend.
Xabi Alonso Explains Moisés Caicedo And Malo Gusto Subs
Lacroix wasn’t the only one with fitness concerns. Moisés Caicedo and Malo Gusto were both substituted in the 68th minute, part of a triple change that also saw Danny Welbeck come off. They were replaced by Valentín Barco and Marco Palestra respectively.
Alonso explained after the game:
‘The game had very intense moments. We knew that it was going to be physical and after we had to deal with Max, Moi had little problems. Malo as well; he had cramps. We were a little bit forced with substitutions.’
However, Alonso appeared much more positive about the two players, and they could be available for the Manchester United clash. The forced substitutions also impacted the team tactically, and Alonso later said this was one reason Estêvão wasn’t used during the game. He also noted that the Brazilian is still adjusting to the physical intensity of English football after injury.