Mauricio Pochettino gives worrying update on forgotten Chelsea star

Mauricio Pochettino has given a worrying update on a forgotten Chelsea star.

Chelsea's transfer spending since Todd Boehly bought the club in 2022 has been widely criticised, and in some cases fairly so.

Several big money signings like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Mykhailo Mudryk have failed to live up to their hefty price tags despite being given plenty of opportunities to do so.

However, the same cannot be said for Wesley Fofana.

The French centre-back joined Chelsea in a £70 million move from Leicester City in 2022, but injuries have plagued his time at Stamford Bridge.

Knee and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries have limited Fofana to just 20 appearances in a Chelsea shirt, and he has been absent since July 2023 after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery.

Now Chelsea boss has poured water on hopes that the 23-year-old could return to action before the end of the season.

"I don’t think we will see him back before the end of this season, unfortunately," Pochettino said on Friday.

"You never know, of course. But it looks like this now."

Fofana appeared to be making good progress in his rehabilitation after Chelsea shared a photo of him training in November. He also shared a photo of himself training with the caption: "I'm back."

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Fofana does not have a great injury history. He missed 15 Premier League games with a knee injury during his first season with the club, and he missed the majority of the 2021/22 campaign with Leicester after suffering a broken leg.

Now, after suffering a setback, it's unclear when the defender will return.

Fofana does not

French attacker Christopher Nkunku has handed Pochettino another injury setback.

The £51m summer signing has endured an injury-hit first season in West London, and he picked up another issue during Chelsea's Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday having just returned from injury.

"He suffered a problem in his hamstring and then we will see in a few weeks if he is available. Now he is doing recovery from Sunday," Pochettino said.

Chelsea will be without injured first team stars including Romeo Lavia, Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka for the trip to Brentford on Saturday, although Thiago Silva could return.