Chelsea boss Graham Potter has confirmed that he will be without two forwards for up to two months, just as the Blues confirm the capture on loan of Joao Felix.
Christian Pulisic faces eight weeks on the sidelines after departing the recent defeat to Manchester City - and Raheem Sterling, who went off in the same game, could be absent for almost as long.
The Blues will at least have striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang available, but they are still awaiting to hear whether or not new arrival Felix has been registered in time to face Fulham on Thursday night.
“Pierre is fine and he will be in the squad. Christian is a couple of months we think,” Potter said in his pre-match press conference. “Raheem is less, hopefully less than that, but [we’re] still evaluating the extent.”
On the addition of the Portuguese forward from Atletico Madrid, Potter acknowledged that the bad news on Pulisic and Sterling may have sped up negotiations - and Felix trained on Wednesday with the team in preparation for involvement in the local derby.
“He is a quality player who can make a difference in the final third of the pitch. He’s young but still has experience.
“The injuries maybe sharpened the focus a bit. It was good to get him in training today and we will see about playing on Thursday.
“From a physical perspective, he can go in. It’s always a little bit of an unknown period as he is going from one club to another, but that’s on a case-to-case basis.”
