Wesley Fofana is the latest Chelsea player to suffer an injury, and for him it comes after missing a period of six weeks before the domestic break too. The Frenchman didn't play after hurting his knee in the home match against AC Milan in early October and has been in gradual recovery since.
He wasn't fit enough to be risked as part of the side that played a friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi and is now expected to miss the return of Premier League action with Chelsea playing Bournemouth on December 27.
The 22-year-old has had a slow start to life in a blue shirt since his big money move from Leicester in the summer but has a seven-year deal to offer continued security to him despite a rotten run of luck. Due to recovering from a broken leg and tactical shifts between Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, Fofana has only played four times, twice in the league and twice in Europe.
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Following Fofana's latest setback, which occurred in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Brentford on Tuesday, football.london brings you the latest on the injury.
What happened
Fofana went off injured during a friendly match behind-closed-doors against Brentford as Chelsea stepped up and finalised their preparation for playing Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge next week.
It is understood that the injury was to his knee, though the severity is still unknown. Fofana has been gently eased back into things under Potter and the manager said last week at the mid-season training camp: "Reece is not quite fully training but he’s integrating into training along with Wesley. Wesley is a little bit further behind but not too far."
Fofana message
After the news broke on social media that Fofana had injured himself in the 5-1 win (Kai Havertz scored a hat-trick whilst Mason Mount, Thiago Silva and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all missed the game) the former Leicester defender took to Instagram to offer a message to supporters.
Replying to a post from a Fofana fan page, he wrote: "Nothing bad champions in not even 1 month we're back to break everything." The fact Fofana mentions 'one month' could be an indication as to the timeline it may take the defender to recover, but of course nothing has been confirmed.
Reece James message
Having been out since the week after Fofana's original injury himself, Reece James has sent a message of support for his defensive partner.
The 23-year-old posted on Instagram alongside a picture of the pair playing together: "The $oul never dies, u gotta love ur life, it's gonna be hard at times. but I promise darkness turns to light, it's gonna be alright, im w (with) you brother."
James' recovery appears to have gone smoothly and he is expected to be in contention to face the Cherries.
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