CHELSEA face an attacking crisis – with SIX wingers unavailable for the trip to Liverpool on Saturday.
Teenager Jesse Derry is out after being taken off on a stretcher with a serious head injury suffered in the 3-1 home defeat by Nottingham Forest.
Jesse Derry of Chelsea was stretchered off the pitch after a clash of heads.Credit: Getty
Chelsea have six wingers unavailable for their next match, including EstevaoCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto have not recovered from muscle problems which kept them out of the Forest game.
Meanwhile Jamie Gittens and Estevao are out for the season with injuries and Mykhailo Mudryk is fighting a four-year ban for an anti-doping offence.
So, despite spending well over a billion pounds on players under the current ownership, the Blues do not have a senior winger available – nor even young Derry after the unfortunate end to his first start for the senior team.
Interim Chelsea boss Calum McFarlane said: “I spoke to Jesse’s dad the night it happened, I spoke to the family yesterday as well, and it’s positive, it’s really positive.
Alejandro Garnacho is also nursing a knockCredit: Alamy
Like Garnacho, Pedro Neto also missed Chelsea’s dismal defeat to Nottingham ForestCredit: Getty
“I don’t have the knowledge or the insights to go into massive detail, but all early signs are really positive.
“As long as he’s healthy and the way he’s looking now is all that really matters.
“But it was great to give him his debut. I worked with Jesse at the under-21s, he’s had a fantastic season.
“It would be an abrupt end, but it was amazing for him to make his debut and I think he’s shown in that first half his quality and what he can bring to this team.”
Top scorer Joao Pedro is likely to move to a wide position against Liverpool to allow Liam Delap to play at centre forward.
Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez would complete the line of three behind Delap.
But McFarlane may well call on Chelsea’s successful youth teams to give him attacking options on the bench.
Striker Shim Mheuka, 18, has had an outstanding season in Premier League 2, and exciting winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, 17, could be in line for his first-team debut.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez will also miss the trip to Anfield after suffering his own head injury against Forest, with Filip Jorgensen set to deputise.
McFarlane added: “We’ve still got a lot of players available that can impact football games.
“So, we’re going to have to make up some of the players we’re missing in different ways, in the way that we shape the team up.”
Mykhailo Mudryk is battling a drugs banCredit: AP
