Chelsea: Mauricio Pochettino questions England over Ben Chilwell as fresh injury confirmed

The Blues have been rocked by a series of injuries as the Premier League restarts.
Nizaar Kinsella28 March 2024

Mauricio Pochettino has expressed surprise that Ben Chilwell started both England matches over the international break and confirmed the left-back has picked up a knock against Belgium.

The 27-year-old defender is potentially on a lengthy injury list which on Thursday saw Robert Sanchez, Carney Chukwuemeka and Trevoh Chalobah added after suffering setbacks during the international break.

Reece James, Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill are also still out, meaning up to 11 players are set to miss Saturday’s match against Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Asked about his squad’s injury problems, Pochettino said: "We still need to assess a few players like Chilwell after playing two games, he got a knock in his knee.

The FA via Getty Images

“Today, he wasn't ready to train. We will see what will happen [on Friday] if he can be in the squad. Enzo has still not arrived [after playing for Argentina]."

The England left-back played 67 minutes against Brazil and then completed the full match against Belgium on Tuesday night having started just four matches for Chelsea since returning from injury.

Pochettino confirmed that he was not expecting Gareth Southgate to pick Chilwell to start both games, adding: “He didn’t play after Brentford for us, he only played a few minutes against Leicester for us.

“Yes, [I was surprised]. It was a little bit of a situation that he started two games and it is maybe a surprise for us but also bad luck as he got a dead leg in the last moment of the game against Belgium.

Palmer is disappointed he couldn't play or perform with the national team

“Now we need to struggle and pay in our club. That’s more bad luck for us as we need to assess if he can be available.”

But he had better news about Cole Palmer, who suffered an injury on international duty to rule him out of the match against Brazil before returning as an unused substitute versus Belgium. "Yes, he is a little bit disappointed because he couldn't play or perform with the national team.

“He had a small problem for the first game and thought he could play the second game. He is OK and training well. I think the plan is if he trains in the same way, he will be available for the game on Saturday."

Romeo Lavia has also been ruled out for the season, “It’s a really difficult situation for him, he is really sad,” Pochettino continued.

“Because he has only played 30 minutes for a player who arrived at the club [in the summer]. It’s a thing that sometimes happens in a club.”

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