“He is at home trying to recover” - Pochettino confirms Chelsea star will miss Manchester United clash
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that defender Ben Chilwell will be out of the side's upcoming clash against Manchester United. Speaking ahead of the game, he also offered an update on the situations of Trevoh Chalobah and Malo Gusto.
Pochettino said (via press conference):
Okay, Trevoh and Malo trained with us and they will be ready to be in the squad. Chilly, no. We didn't see Chilly from Friday because the doctor and the medical staff removed from his knee a lot of fluid after coming back from the national team. Saturday, he got ill and wasn't [in] Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. He is at home trying to recover. Robert Sanchez is training. The rest you have on the website."
Chilwell's last appearance for Chelsea came off the bench for a short cameo in the side's 4-2 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup before the international break. Despite not being fully fit, he featured in both of England's games in that period, playing 157 minutes out of 180.
On his return to Stamford Bridge, he was suspected of suffering a knee injury. Eventually, he was not named in the squad for the side's 2-2 draw against Burnley.
Trevoh Chalobah started in that FA Cup win but was unavailable for the Burnley clash. He is expected to make a recovery in time from a hamstring issue. Gusto, who has been impressive for Chelsea in the absence of Reece James, hobbled off late in their previous fixture but will likely feature against the Red Devils.
Chelsea star committed to staying at club despite rumors of move
Chelsea star Reece James is unwilling to leave the club at the end of the season. According to HITC, Real Madrid are interested in the player but he is keen on staying at Stamford Bridge.
This comes after a report from TEAMtalk claimed that the Blues could be forced to sell players due to their troubles with Financial Fair Play. They have spent extensively in recent windows and may need to sell their homegrown players to balance the books.
In this regard, the likes of Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah all could exit Chelsea. James has also been mentioned as a potential candidate in this regard. He has made just 33 appearances over the last two seasons, facing regular injuries. Moreover, the emergence of Malo Gusto as a solid option could see the club willing to sell their captain in the summer.