CHELSEA players are believed to be worried about the club’s shocking injury record since the start of last season.
The West London side have had the most amount of injuries out of any club in Europe, having racked up 97 knocks to players.
The injury nightmare continued in the side’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Thursday night as both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic were forced off the pitch after hurting themselves.
They will join the club’s current batch of crocked players which consists of N’Golo Kante, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Edouard Mendy, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Although Mount could be back for Chelsea’s FA Cup fixture against City on Sunday, but he will have to be assessed late on.
After the game, manager Graham Potter admitted that it was one of the worse injury crises that he has contended with as a manager.
He said: “I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I’d ideally not want to experience it here.
“But it is what it is, I have to just carry on.”
According to a study by Howden’s European Football Injury Index, the club’s injury record is the worst of any club in Europe since the start of last season and is 16 more than the next worst club out of the top five leagues.
The club had removed the medical staff of club doctor Paco Biosca and head physio Thierry Laurent when the new Boehly-Clearlake ownership took charge.
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The believe that the club’s medical departments were far behind that of other Premier League rivals, according to the Evening Standard.
The club have since used a private physiotherapy firm used by celebrities in order to treat players.
The same report suggests that some members of the club’s squad are “concerned” about the situation after seeing Kante’s career be hampered by his niggling injuries.
Chelsea is strengthening during the January transfer window with the arrivals of defender Benoit Badiashile and David Datro Fofana helping add depth to the squad.
The Blues are also expected to complete a deal to sign young midfielder Andrey Santos as they also try to sign Benfica star Enzo Fernandez and Shakhtar Donetsk Mykhailo Mudryk.
However, as much depth they add will help, it will not alleviate players concerns for their fitness concerns.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
