The international break has presented Chelsea with fresh challenges in their squad. Following injuries to Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, Mike Penders and Jamie Gittens have now also suffered setbacks.
21-year-old Penders missed Belgium's victorious match against Italy (2-0) due to a quadriceps injury sustained during training. He remains with the national team, but his availability for the upcoming clash against France is highly uncertain. Depending on the severity of the injury, his recovery could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
Penders serves as a backup to Emiliano Martinez at Chelsea but has already featured in the starting lineup for both of their League Cup matches this season.
More concerning news comes from the England U21 camp, where Gittens suffered an ankle injury in the match against Kazakhstan (4-2) and was substituted in just the 39th minute. The 22-year-old winger was seen leaving the stadium on crutches after the match.
England U21 manager Lee Carsley commented:
Jamie took a knock to his ankle. We never take risks with players' health.
We won’t keep players of that age with the national squad. We need to see how things progress. He will return to his club.
Gittens has now departed from the U21 setup and will undergo further assessment at Chelsea. The timeline for his recovery remains unknown.
This season, the winger has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League and is currently not a key player in Xabi Alonso's plans.
Chelsea’s next match is scheduled for October 10 at home against Bournemouth.
