Enzo Maresca revealed Chelsea have avoided any serious concern with Trevoh Chalobah after the defender came off against AC Milan in Sunday’s pre-season friendly.
Chalobah seemingly injured his ankle and was tended to by Chelsea trainers in the second half. He came off in the 57th minute, but did not receive further treatment and was seen walking normally afterwards. Josh Acheampong was summoned as his replacement to see out the rest of a 4–1 friendly win with goals from João Pedro and Liam Delap.
“Trev is fine. He decided to come off because it was too hot,” Maresca chuckled to Channel 5 after the game.
This will come as a huge sigh of relief for Blues fans given Levi Colwill underwent surgery to repair his ACL last week, which will likely keep him out for a majority of the upcoming campaign. Wesley Fofana, however, is nearing a return, according to Maresca, and could play against Community Shield winners Crystal Palace in Chelsea’s Premier League opener on Sunday.
There have been two comfortable pre-season wins for Chelsea after returning to action for the first time since defeating Paris Saint-Germain to lift the FIFA Club World Cup in July. The Blues played Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan across three days to get back to match fitness with the Premier League campaign around the corner.
Estêvão, Jamie Gittens, Pedro and Delap each impressed individually across the two fixtures in front of home crowds. The Chalobah news, and subsequent update regarding Fofana, should quell fears of an injury crisis. Losing Colwill, a player Maresca credited heavily for their success last season, is a big blow.
“I told him that if we achieve what we achieved last year, it is also because of him. He was a main player for us,” Maresca said.
Chalobah looks poised for an increased role after avoiding injury alongside Tosin Adarabioyo and potentially summer signing Jorrel Hato. Chalobah spend the first half of last season on loan at Palace, impressing enough to earn a recall to his parent club in January while the Blues were lumbered with injuries.
The English defender started the UEFA Conference League final and made five appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup, including three consecutive starts from the quarterfinals onward.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Enzo Maresca Gives Trevoh Chalobah Update Amid Injury Crisis Concerns.