Chelsea suffer crushing injury blow as 22-year-old ruptures ACL: Reports

Chelsea have reportedly been dealt a heavy injury blow ahead of next season, as French defender Wesley Fofana has ruptured his ACL. The 22-year-old center-back was initially not part of the club's squad that traveled to the USA for pre-season preparations yesterday following fears of a suspected knee injury.

However, following what now seem to be medical examinations carried out on Fofana, reports, according to Nathan Gissing, show that the player has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

It comes as a major setback for head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is currently set to assess his squad in the US during pre-season. Fofana's absence will mean that the Blues will be short on defensive options heading into next season.

Fellow French defender Benoit Badiashile is also injured and didn't travel with the Blues squad to the US. As such, Pochettino doesn't have many defensive options at his disposal.

Another major disappointment about Fofana's injury is the fact that the 22-year-old defender is regarded as the first-choice right-center back, as the duo of Levi Colwill and Badiashille are both left-footed.

Pochettino will now have to make do with the 38-year-old Thiago Silva and possibly Trevoh Chalobah to cover up for the injured Fofana heading into next season. Meanwhile, Fofana is expected to undergo surgery on his ruptured ACL after undergoing a scan.

As such, the player could be sidelined for a large part of the 2023–24 football campaign for Chelsea. He made a combined total of 22 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions last season after securing a £75 million transfer from Leicester City last summer.

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Chelsea release official statement following Wesley Fofana's injury

Leicester City v Chelsea FC - Premier League

The west London club has now come out to confirm reports stating that 22-year-old French defender Wesley Fofana has ruptured his ACL.

The player wasn't part of the squad that traveled for pre-season preparations following fears of a knee injury. He is now expected to undergo rehabilitation after a reconstruction.

The defender has been a victim of reoccurring knee injuries that date back to his time at his former club, Leicester City. He missed a total of 20 games for the Blues last season due to a knee injury.

The club confirmed via an official statement on Chelsea's website:

"Defender Wesley Fofana has undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. The 22-year-old did not travel to America for the club's pre-season tour due to specialist medical assessments, which unfortunately confirmed that an operation would be required. Wesley will now begin his recovery and work with the club's medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase."