Chelsea have been handed another injury concern after winger Jamie Gittens sustained an ankle issue while playing for England's Under-21s. The former Borussia Dortmund attacker started for Lee Carsley's Young Lions on Friday night as they faced Kazakhstan in their latest 2027 European Championship qualifier at Molineux.
Gittens was injured during the first half of a dramatic 4-2 comeback victory for England and was replaced by former Chelsea team-mate Tyrique George six minutes before the break in Wolverhampton. Carsley confirmed after the game that the 22-year-old would return to Chelsea for tests on the injury, having been seen on crutches walking up a set of stairs at Molineux in footage that circulated on social media.
Carsley confirms early return
“Jamie got a kick on his ankle,” Carsley said, per The Sun. “We never take any risks. With the age of these players we don’t ever keep them in camp to see how they are. He will go back.”
Gittens is the second Chelsea player to sustain an injury during the current international window, with goalkeeper Mike Penders having been absent for Belgium's 2-0 Nations League win over Italy in Rome on Friday night after picking up a thigh problem in training.
Palmer withdrawal frustration
Thomas Tuchel revealed his frustration at Cole Palmer surprisingly withdrawing from another England squad ahead of their Nations League matches against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia, with BBC Sport reporting that Palmer is understood to be currently abroad completing an injury-specific training plan alongside a Chelsea rehabilitation coach.
“My understanding is that he is playing with discomfort and pain, and he cannot compete at the highest level with discomfort and pain. So he withdrew and informed us, and Chelsea informed us,” Tuchel said of Palmer on the eve of reigning world champions Spain's visit to Wembley.
“For sure. It is a missed opportunity. He misses too many opportunities. I don't blame him for it. It is just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries, and I only want to rely on what I witness and see within in my team, and for that you have to be in camp. And if you're not in camp, there is a next level to impress that you cannot achieve because you can only do it when you are actually on the pitch with me. So yes, it is a missed opportunity.”
Further Chelsea absentees
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has plenty of other injury worries to contend with at present, with Joao Pedro, Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Marco Palestra all currently sidelined and unavailable for international duty during the extended three-week window. Summer signing Emmanuel Emegha is also yet to feature for the club in a competitive fixture following a hamstring complaint sustained during pre-season.
Injuries have wrecked Gittens' time at Chelsea so far following a £51.5million transfer from Dortmund last summer, with the player having started just once under Alonso this term - when he was brought off at half-time in the pulsating 6-3 win over Leeds in the Carabao Cup third round earlier in September. His only other appearance was as a late substitute in the second-round win over third-tier Luton, while Gittens made just 12 starts - five in the Premier League - during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge as he struggled with hamstring problems. He was linked with an exit from Chelsea during the most recent summer transfer window, amid loan interest from the likes of Roma.
