Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has provided an update on the fitness of injured players Jamie Gittens and Emmanuel Emegha, confirming that Emegha suffered a setback in training and Gittens remains out for a few more weeks.
Emegha's setback and Gittens' recovery
Emmanuel Emegha, who has yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea since joining from sister club Strasbourg in the summer, felt discomfort during training on Thursday. Alonso said: "He's not yet [available]. He felt something [on Thursday], a little thing. He's going to be training next week but he's still not 100 per cent fit to be playing in the game."
Meanwhile, Jamie Gittens has been sidelined since the international break after suffering an ankle injury while playing for England Under-21s against Kazakhstan, leaving the stadium on crutches. Alonso previously stated the winger would be out for "a few weeks," and when asked for an update, he said: "Not yet. But it's still a few weeks. Still a few weeks."
What Emegha will offer when fit
Emegha started pre-season well, scoring in back-to-back behind-closed-doors friendlies against Crawley and Bromley at Cobham before picking up a hamstring injury against the latter. He has not featured since, though he was an unused substitute during the Carabao Cup win over Luton in August.
Asked what the 23-year-old striker will offer when available, Alonso replied: "When he's fit, he is very special because he's 195 centimetres (6ft5in). He's quick, he attacks the space, he's a threat. So he needs to be fully fit and at this moment he's having little things and unfortunately he's not been available. But we are looking forward to that. He feels good and he can help the team but he's going to be difficult for the defenders when he's in good shape."
Emegha will not be involved in Chelsea's match against Everton on Saturday.
