Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino provides injury update on Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo after win over Fulham
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino provided injury updates on Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo, players who started the Blues 2-0 win against Fulham on Monday (October 2).
The Ukraine international netted his first-ever goal for Chelsea, putting away a chipped through ball from defender Levi Colwill in the 18th minute of the tie. However, the 22-year-old winger was substituted at half-time, with Ian Maatsen taking his place on the pitch.
Addressing concerns over a potential injury, Pochettino told the press after the game (via Football London):
"I hope Misha is not a big issue because he feel something in his quad at the end of the first half and hopefully he arrives on Saturday."
Another worrying sign for Chelsea was Caicedo's withdrawal after he seemingly picked up a knock deep into stoppage time. Stating that the defensive midfielder should be all right, the Blues boss added:
"Caicedo was a contusion but also hopefully it’s nothing wrong. He was tired, but it was a contusion."
Both players broke into the first-team and have been in the starting XI off-late. Mudryk started the last three Premier League fixtures for 2021 Champions League winners, while Caicedo started four of his five league appearances for the club.
Hence, both players seem to be integral to Pochettino's plans at Stamford Bridge. It remains to be seen whether they play a part in Chelsea's trip to Burnley on Saturday (October 7).
"It is to trust these guys"- Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino calls for patience with Mykhailo Mudryk
Mykhailo Mudryk has found it rather difficult at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported fee of £88.5 million in January.
The youngster hadn't scored a goal for the club in 23 appearances. He finally managed to get on the scoresheet as the Blues defeated their west London rivals Fulham 2-0 on Monday (October 2).
Claiming that one needs to be patient with young talent, Pochettino said after the aforementioned match (via Football London):
"It’s about maturity, adaptation we need to understand young people need time to settle. A massive change for him when he arrived here. They need to add something to the team to add something important."
"It is difficult but it about time, and to be patient. It is to trust these guys, these young talented players."
The Ukraine international has started the Blues' last three Premier League matches after managing only substitute appearances previously this season. Fans will be hoping for greater attacking output from Mudryk in the coming weeks.