Trevoh Chalobah has offered an injury update after being stretchered off during Chelsea’s Champions League exit on Tuesday.
Liam Rosenior’s side were bundled out of Europe after an 8-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of UCL holders Paris Saint-Germain, marking an historic humiliation in a match riddled with more defensive issues.
On the outside looking in when it comes to the top four race in the Premier League and with some tricky games to come, Chelsea may now view their FA Cup quarter-final tie with Port Vale as their best - if not only - chance of success this term.
Any such aspirations took a further blow, however, when Chalobah - who has played the third-most minutes across all competitions for the club this season, behind Enzo Fernandez and Robert Sanchez - was carried off the pitch in the closing stages against PSG, having gone over on his ankle at an awkward angle.
Indeed, in a picture of the incident shared by the England defender himself, his right ankle appears to twist nearly 180 degrees after his foot planted in the turf during a challenge on Achraf Hakimi, whose own boot came down on top of Chalobah’s.
The 26-year-old received medical treatment immediately but could not continue, leaving his side a man down for the final minutes.
Thankfully for player, club and fans alike, Chalobah has since appeared to confirm reports that his injury is not as bad as it first appeared.
In a post to his Instagram story, the centre-back said his ankle “should be broken” - suggesting the worst-case scenario has not actually occurred.
That aligns with Rosenior’s post-match assessment that Chalobah had suffered a “high ankle sprain”, with the Chelsea boss “praying it's nothing too serious because we can't lose another defender.”
Rosenior added at full-time on Tuesday: “We’ll obviously scan and assess him [on Wednesday]. We are hoping and praying that it’s not as bad as we first feared.”
Chelsea are next in action at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday evening followed by their FA Cup quarter-final on April 4, after the upcoming international break.
