Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed that Aaron Anselmino is still a few weeks away from a return to fitness, ruling the defender out of Saturday's Premier League meeting with Manchester United.
The 21-year-old Argentine remains without a Premier League debut for the club despite joining from Boca Juniors for a fee believed to be in the region of £17million in August 2024. His only competitive appearance for Chelsea came during the Club World Cup last year, when he played two minutes as a substitute for Levi Colwill in the round of 16 clash against Benfica.
Loan spells and injury struggles
After that tournament, Anselmino joined Borussia Dortmund on loan but was recalled in January and sent to Strasbourg for the second half of the 2025-26 campaign, where injuries limited him to just three appearances in total.
His most recent outing for Chelsea came in a pre-season friendly against Johor Darul Ta'zim in August, when he was forced off just before the half-hour mark with an injury. He recovered quickly enough to take a place on the bench for the Carabao Cup second round win over Luton but has not been seen since.
Manager's update on recovery
Speaking in Friday's press conference, Alonso said: "He's not available yet. He's had a few things, a few injuries and it still will take a few weeks until he's fully fit and we need to be cautious with him because he has had a few of them so he's still not there."
Anselmino has made just one Chelsea first-team matchday squad this season.
Martinez on course for early return
Meanwhile, Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez is on course to return from jaw surgery ahead of schedule. The 34-year-old suffered the injury in a collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite during Chelsea's 2-0 win away to Everton, which saw him stretchered off at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Martinez was expected to be out for up to six weeks, but Alonso revealed he could be available against Sunderland before the international break, and would wear a face mask if so. "Yes, there is a chance. We need to still wait for next week, but let's see how things go," Alonso added. "But there is a chance. In case he's ready to play, he will need a face mask probably."
