Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Mykhailo Mudryk could yet be fit for Monday's showdown with rivals Tottenham.
Along with star midfielder Enzo Fernandez, the Ukraine winger missed Saturday's disappointing 2-0 home Premier League defeat by Brentford due to a minor muscle strain.
Mudryk is expected to sit out again on Wednesday night when Chelsea take on Championship side Blackburn at Stamford Bridge for a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
However, the issue is not serious and Pochettino has admitted that the 22-year-old has a chance of being fit for a crucial trip to face unbeaten league leaders Tottenham on Monday evening.
The game will come too soon though for Christopher Nkunku, who has made great strides in his quick recovery from summer knee surgery but seems unlikely to be in a position to make his competitive Chelsea debut until after the next international break in November.
Nkunku's absence since a serious injury suffered in pre-season following his high-profile £52million switch from RB Leipzig continues to be lamented by the manager whose goal-shy side have scored just 13 times in the league so far this term.
Asked in his pre-Blackburn press conference if either player could be back to face Tottenham, former Spurs boss Pochettino told reporters on Tuesday: "Mudryk, maybe. Nkunku, no."
Chelsea's seemingly never-ending injury problems have been mounting again of late, with, like Nkunku, Romeo Lavia also prevented from making his Blues bow due to an ankle problem sustained in training shortly after a £58m transfer from Southampton.
His potential return date remains unclear, with the likes of Armando Broja and Fernandez also sidelined of late to go along with setbacks experienced by Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka.
Wesley Fofana is likely to miss the entire season after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery performed in the summer, though captain Reece James is in line to start against Blackburn as he aims to finally put his injury issues behind him.
Third-string goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli has been pictured in training at Cobham this week and Pochettino confirmed on Tuesday that England left-back Ben Chilwell has been sent to Los Angeles for a change of scenery to help aid his recovery from another hamstring injury.
