Chelsea star went off injured and looked upset during 5-1 Brentford friendly win: Reports

Chelsea defeated Brentford by a scoreline of 5-1 in a behind-the-closed-door friendly. However, summer-signing Wesley Fofana went off injured during the game.

The friendly was played in three halves of 45 minutes. Kai Havertz, back from Germany's disappointing 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, scored a hat-trick.

Fofana's injury, though, is bound to concern Graham Potter. The Frenchman was signed for a fee of £75 million during the summer. Since his arrival from Leicester City, he has made four appearances for the Blues.

Wesley Fofana went off injured and looked upset. (@siphillipssport) #CFC open.substack.com/pub/siphillips…

The 21-year-old suffered a knee injury during the UEFA Champions League home clash against AC Milan. He has since been out of action. Chelsea are set to return to the Premier League against Bournemouth on 27 December for the first time after the FIFA World Cup break.

🚨 Chelsea 5-1 Brentford, Kai Havertz scored a Hatrick. (@Nathan_Gissing)

Pat Nevin opined on the FIFA World Cup's effect on Chelsea players

Croatia vs. Morocco: 3rd Place - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech were the two brightest performing Chelsea players in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They have suffered from a lack of minutes for the Blues so far this season. Former player Pat Nevin feels that the duo got much-needed game time.

Nevin, however, is worried about Thiago Silva. After having a busy schedule with the west London-based club, the veteran Silva was omnipresent for Brazil at the World Cup. Nevin wrote for the Blues' official website:

"With over 1,000, he has more league minutes than any other Chelsea player this season. He played most of the games for most of the time for Brazil before Kova and co. knocked them out in the quarter-finals after another gruelling game that went to extra time and penalties."

Nevin further added that Jorginho also got a good break as Italy didn't qualify for the tournament in Qatar. He added that Reece James, who missed the trip to Qatar due to injury, had time to recover.

Nevin went on to opine that Graham Potter's side got the break at the right time after their lackluster start to the campaign:

"To be fair, I think the break couldn’t have come at a better time for us. The form and the results had dipped and Graham Potter needed a bit of time to take stock after a brutally busy period since his arrival. His arrival may not be the one we are talking about most in the coming weeks as the transfer window looms into view."