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Colwill Injury Worry for Chelsea, Badiashile Could Return Early

Chelsea’s pre-season hits an early snag with injury woes emerging. Levi Colwill picked up an injury during Monday’s training session, casting doubts over his availability for upcoming fixtures. With new boss Enzo Maresca implementing his tactical blueprint, losing Colwill now would be a major blow to his plans.

Maresca reveals concern as Colwill awaits scan results

Speaking on Thursday, Maresca admitted the club is still in the dark over the severity of Colwill’s knock. The 21-year-old centre-back felt discomfort in the dying minutes of Chelsea’s first pre-season training session.

“We had a problem the last two days with Levi Colwill,” Maresca said. “That we don’t know how long he is going to be out. We need to wait. It was in the first session on Monday, just in the last minutes of the session. He felt something and, as I said, we need to wait and then we see.”

The manager stressed the importance of Colwill’s role last season. “If we achieve what we achieved last year, it is also because of him — and he was a main player for us,” Maresca told reporters. He added that their connection from last season gives the staff confidence in Colwill’s recovery once the scan results are in.

Defensive reshuffle on the cards for Chelsea

While Chelsea wait for clarity, defensive plans may need adjusting. New signing Jorrel Hato, who can play at centre-back, was expected to back up Marc Cucurella at left-back. Now, his versatility may prove essential. However, Wesley Fofana is back in training but is still building up his fitness. Under Maresca, right-footers Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo have largely been on the opposite side, leaving less left options.

Benoit Badiashile, previously expected back in September, may return sooner than anticipated and could even feature in Chelsea’s friendly against Bayer Leverkusen tonight. Badiashile’s potential early return eases pressure on the squad if Colwill faces a longer spell out.

With a heavy schedule on the horizon, if Colwill faces a longer spell out of action, Chelsea may need to look to the market or academy prospects for more defensive resources in order to remain competitive.

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