Chelsea have been handed another potential fitness concern after Malo Gusto withdrew from international duty.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Tuesday that the full-back was one of three players to pull out of Gerald Baticle’s France Under-21 squad for upcoming friendlies against Italy and Germany due to injury.
Gusto will return to London having withdrawn following assessment undertaken by France medical staff at their Clairefontaine training base on Monday.
The 21-year-old also pulled out of U21 duty in September due to a thigh problem suffered against Crystal Palace.
Gusto has been a key fixture for Chelsea under Enzo Maresca, starting all but two of the club’s 11 Premier League matches so far this term and mostly rested in the cup competitions alongside their other regular starters.
Primarily featuring at right-back in the absence of Reece James, he has kept his place with Chelsea’s captain operating largely at left-back since his long-awaited return from his latest hamstring injury.
Gusto is the latest Chelsea player to withdraw from international duty this week, with Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill among eight dropouts from Lee Carsley’s final England squad on Monday to face Greece and the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League.
Gusto’s compatriot and fellow defender Wesley Fofana also withdrew from the senior France squad for Nations League matches against Israel and Italy due to knee pain experienced following Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal, a match in which Gusto also required treatment for a knock and was guilty of missing a brilliant headed chance.
Chelsea have also been without Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho of late due to a mixture of illness and injury, as well as young summer signing Omari Kellyman. Maresca’s third-place side return to action after the November international break with a Premier League trip to Leicester on November 23, before meeting German side Heidenheim in the Conference League.
