Chelsea injury update after end of FIFA World Cup 2022

Club football is back again after the end of the FIFA World Cup 2022

Chelsea's medical room remains one of the busiest places at the club since last season when they were reported to be the club with the most injuries (97) in the 2021-22 season. The situation has been pretty much similar this season too, with the Blues losing the likes of Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and N'Golo Kante already to injuries. 

Football is a physical sport which involves contact between players and wherever there is contact there will be injuries. While we can't prevent injuries from happening, but we sure can breakdown the details for you. That's right!

In this article, we will be breaking down the injuries of the currently injured Chelsea players and their possible return dates. Let's get started.

8. Armando Broja

Armando Broja is the latest name to be sidelined after suffering from a knee injury against Aston Villa in a friendly game. The Chelsea striker had his boot stuck in the turf as he was attempting to close down the Villa defender. Unfortunately, Broja's knee was forced into the valgus position which is a major concern for the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).

Our worst fears became true when Chelsea FC confirmed that Armando Broja ruptured his ACL. The latest news on Broja is that he will undergo ACL reconstruction surgery and will remain out for 8-9 months at least, thus missing the start of the 2023-24 season.

7. Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa Arrizabalaga had to be substituted against Brighton after suffering from a foot injury. It was later reported that Kepa suffered a plantar fascia tear in his foot. For those of you who don't know, plantar fasciitis is a very irritating injury and there is no specific timeframe for recovery. It is managed on a day-to-day basis. It could range from a few weeks to months.

Fortunately, Kepa has been stepping up his recovery and could be back in time for the PL restart.

Expected return: Bournemouth (Dec 27)

6. Carney Chukwuemeka

Carney Chukwuemeka has been struggling with a hamstring issue since early November. Also, the 19-year-old midfielder recently returned to team training which makes the timeframe around 4-5 weeks. Barring any other unreported injury, this looks to be a possible Grade 2 hamstring strain (partial tear of the muscle).

Expected return: Bournemouth (Dec 27)

5. Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was injured against Newcastle in the final club game before the World Cup. Also, the 26-year-old injured his calf and was seen holding the myotendinous junction (where muscle and tendon meet) of the right calf. The concern goes towards a possible calf strain.

Expected return: Bournemouth (Dec 27)

4. Wesley Fofana

Wesley Fofana made a great start to life at Chelsea scoring his first goal on his UCL debut. However, he ended up injuring his right knee in the same fixture which resulted in him being out for 6-8 weeks. Looking back at the video, Fofana's knee was seen in the valgus stress position which is a concern for the ACL/MCL/Meniscus. Furthermore, he was holding his medial (inner) knee where the MCL (medial collateral ligament) is located indicating a possible Grade 2 MCL sprain. 

As of now, Fofana has been involved in team training as he aims to return soon.

Expected return: Bournemouth (Dec 27)

3. N'Golo Kante

N'Golo Kante has been a long-term absentee for the Blues after picking up a hamstring injury against Tottenham at the start of the season. Kante was seen holding his lower hamstring right around the distal (lower) tendon area. The Frenchman was initially out for a month before returning to training where he had a significant setback. Apparently, Kante had to undergo hamstring surgery and is expected to remain sidelined for around four months. Judging from his injury history, the surgery was probably done to repair his distal hamstring tendon. 

Expected return: February 2023

2. Ben Chilwell

Ben Chilwell was injured in Chelsea's final UCL group stage game against Dinamo Zagreb. Chilwell suffered a left hamstring injury with reports that he heard a "pop" sound when it occurred. Chilwell was seen holding his upper hamstring right around the tendon(connects muscle to bone) area. Hearing the 'pop' sound could be a concern for a tendon tear. Later, it was reported that Chilwell avoided potential surgery and could be out for up to three months, suggesting the injury was a Grade 2 proximal (upper) hamstring tendon tear. 

As of now, Ben Chilwell has been doing some individual training as part of his rehabilitation.

Expected return: Bournemouth (Dec 27)

1. Reece James

Reece James was injured back in October in the UEFA Champions League game against AC Milan. By reviewing the video of his injury one can observe that James' knee was forced in a varus stress which is a concern for the lateral collateral ligament (LCL). Also, the reported timeline for rehabilitation was around 6-8 weeks, indicating a Grade 2 injury (partial tear of the ligament). 

The good news is that Reece has joined team training and looks to be in contention for the Premier League restart.

Expected return: Bournemouth (Dec 27)