Enzo Maresca insists Wesley Fofana and Reece James face weeks on the sideline through injury as Chelsea bid to maintain their fine start to the season.
The Blues defeated Aston Villa 3-0 at the weekend and are level with Arsenal in second place in the table.
But Fofana was withdrawn with a hamstring issue, with Maresca bemoaning “bad news” and the upcoming absence of the 23-year-old: “We lose him for 10 or 12 games.”
While James suffered an injury setback 10 days ago, with Maresca revealing that the right-back felt “something small,” meaning he is now dealing with a seventh separate hamstring problem since the 2021/22 campaign.
And Maresca was unable to share a positive update on the defensive pair’s timeline to return: “We don’t have any updates at the moment in terms of two days ago.
“We will have to wait a bit and we hope for some news in the next day.
“But for sure he will be out for a few weeks. James is getting better but it is weeks to come back.
“For sure it is a big loss. Wes was doing fantastic, but we need to assess and respond.”
Maresca once again refused to accept Chelsea as part of the title race, but did predict a bright future for the club.
“In the next five, ten years, because of the age, Chelsea can be one of the sides that dominate English football,” Maresca said.
“I think we are in the right direction and in terms of personal target, I know from outside you struggle to believe. I’m focused about Southampton, but I’m not focused about end of the season.”
