"It was his hamstring" - Mauricio Pochettino provides worrying Chelsea injury update after 1-0 Brighton win
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has shared an update on Ben Chilwell that will certainly upset Blues fans. The Argentine manager has revealed that the England international might have picked up a hamstring injury during his side's 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
The west London outfit have qualified for the Round of 16 in the Carabao Cup after defeating Brighton in the third round, thanks to Nicolas Jackson's second-half strike.
Chilwell featured in Pochettino's starting XI and played out all 90 minutes of the fixture. However, the former Leicester City defender went down on the ground after clashing with former Chelsea teammate and Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour.
The Englishman received treatment on the pitch but was unable to continue as he limped off into the tunnel supported by the team's medics. The Blues had to play out the rest of the encounter with ten men as they had used up all of their substitutions.
Pochettino has now addressed Chilwell's injury after the match. He said in a press conference (as quoted by Metro):
"We need to assess tomorrow but we think it was hamstring."
The former Tottenham Hotspur boss added on the team's overall performance:
"It was a good response from the team, I am very pleased with the performance. It was important for us to go through and we hope we can keep this momentum. Today was a must-win, we needed to win this game. In the second half we dominate the game and we fully deserved the victory."
Chilwell has registered six Premier League appearances for the Blues this season, starting four of those fixtures. The Chelsea vice-captain has recorded one assist so far this term.
"They’re still buying wingers" - Jamie Carragher urges Mauricio Pochettino to give Chelsea star 'a chance'
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has implored Pochettino to offer Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk more game time this season. The Englishman insists that the Ukrainian winger must be given a clear path to a place in the starting XI.
The Blues secured Mudryk's services from FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the January transfer window for £88.5 million. The Ukraine international failed to impress in his debut season at the club, not scoring a single goal in 15 Premier League appearances.
Despite his poor form, Carragher believes the Chelsea forward deserves a chance. The former Liverpool star said on The Overlap (as quoted by football.london):
"When you bring a player in, for instance, Mudryk, we know he hasn't done well. He cost £80million-odd, but they’re still buying wingers left, right, and centre. I’m thinking you've got to give that lad a chance."
"You've got to say there's a path to go and play. Every player must feel like there's not really an opportunity there for them because there’s someone going to take their place two games later."
Mudryk has had a sub-par start to the 2023-24 campaign at Stamford Bridge. The young winger is yet to record a goal contribution in five league appearances for Chelsea this season.