“He feels ok but aware of the injury” – Graham Potter makes honest admission as Chelsea wait to find out severity of Ben Chilwell’s injury
Graham Potter has offered a relatively promising fitness update on Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell after he was forced off with an injury this week.
The Englishman suffered a hamstring injury during the Blues' Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday (2 November). Chilwell appeared emotional after leaving the field of play, with his place at the upcoming FIFA World Cup now a serious doubt.
The defender has only recently recovered from a severe leg injury that kept him out for nearly a year and has been performing well for Chelsea this season. The left-back would have been a sure-fire pick for Gareth Southgate's England squad but is now in a race against time to be fit.
Chelsea take on Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend. When Potter was asked in his pre-match press conference about Chilwell, he replied: (as per Football.London):
"He's going for a scan later this afternoon so we'll find out how he is then and there will be an update tomorrow. He feels ok but aware of the injury. We need to let the swelling settle down, hence the delay of the scan. We'll know after that."
"He's ok and at the moment we're hopeful until we get the diagnosis. From there we will aim to him back fit or strong."
Former Chelsea reserves coach Brendan Rodgers questions timing of FIFA World Cup following Chilwell injury
Chilwell signed for Chelsea from Leicester in 2020 and joins a growing list of European stars injured ahead of the World Cup.
Rodgers believes the amount of games before the Qatar tournament is the reason why so many injuries are happening. He told reporters (per The Leicester Mercury):
“When you go back to when it was announced a number of months ago, we all sensed that it wasn’t an ideal time, firstly for players and for supporters. The cost of what it would be to travel just highlights even more that the timing is not ideal."
“For players, this might be their only chance of playing in a World Cup. They will give their best for their clubs but there can be no doubt it will be in the back of their mind that one injury could keep them out.
Rodgers continued:
“I look at Ben last night playing in the game and hopefully, it’s not too bad but players should not be in that position. You could argue and say it would be the same at the end of the season but you get that buffer and that’s why all of us thought the timing of this one wasn’t ideal. Now, being so close to it, we can see the issues that it has."