November 26, (THEWILL) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Blues’ left-back Ben Chilwell has partially torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but no decision has been made on whether he will require surgery.
As THEWILL reported, Chilwell jarred his knee with 20 minutes left in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Juventus on Tuesday, prompting speculation that his season might be gone.
Tuchel stated that Chilwell escaped a full rupture ahead of Manchester United’s visit on Sunday, but he will miss a significant amount of time as club doctors determine whether surgery is required.
“He has a partial tear of his ACL, and the decision is to treat it conservatively,” Tuchel told a press conference. “The next six weeks will tell the story if he makes it and be available or if he will need surgery.
“There is never a good moment for big injuries or injuries in general. This personally is a very bad moment because he was so involved and full of confidence. He was so important in our victories.
“We are very sad but he at the moment is very positive because his body has reacted positively to the first treatments and the injury.”
With Chilwell out, Tuchel is anticipated to rely on Marcos Alonso for the most of the minutes at left wing-back, with Saul Niguez and Callum Hudson-Odoi also being mentioned as possible replacements.
It is also been suggested that 19-year-old Ian Maatsen, who has been excelling on loan with Coventry City, could be called up once the January transfer window opens.
Tuchel also stated that Mateo Kovacic is still out, and that N’Golo Kante will almost surely miss out after hurting his knee against Juventus.
Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker, will return to the squad, but Tuchel is wary of boosting expectations for the Belgian as he recovers from an ankle injury.
“The possibility [Lukaku] starts is not very high because we can’t be sure what happens in the match and we have to find the balance to giving minutes and being absolutely competitive for 90 minutes,” Tuchel said.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
