Chelsea
wing-back Ben Chilwell suffered an ACL injury against Juventus in the
Champions League on Wednesday, head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed.
Chilwell was forced off with a knee problem following a coming together with
Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the second half of Chelsea's 4-0 win at
Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel admitted after the game that he was unsure whether he would be able
to face Manchester United on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, but on Friday
revealed the injury was more serious.
"Ben has a partial injury of his ACL and the decision is to treat it
conservatively," said Tuchel. "And the next six weeks will tell the story
actually if he makes it and if he will be fully available after the six
weeks, or if he needs surgery after that.
"Right now I only care about the six weeks, we are very positive because the
first redaction of his body is very positive.
"Hopefully it stays like this so now the full focus of everybody is on the
next six weeks, to try to bring him back to play.
"It's a very responsible decision, so there's no rush, no pressure."
Marcos Alonso will now step into the frontline as Chelsea's premier fit left
wing-back, but the Blues also have the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi who has
impressed in the deeper wide berths.
Chelsea's German boss Tuchel revealed Chilwell is maintaining an upbeat
outlook despite his injury blow, given initial physical reactions to the
problem have been positive.
"We need to talk about it again in six weeks, maybe we don't need to talk
about it because everything is fine," said Tuchel. "This is the best case,
it does not help if we start now speaking about worst cases, because there
is also a best-case scenario.
"The next weeks will determine the direction. Right now, this is what we
have. There is never a good moment for big injuries, and injuries in
general.
"This for him personally is a very bad moment, because he was so good and so
full of confidence, he was a huge part of our performances and victories in
recent weeks. It's a shame and very sad.
"But he's actually in the moment very positive, because his body reacted
very positively to the first treatments and to the injury.
"So after a while you have to refocus and focus on the positive things. And
that's now the next weeks to do everything possible he can to come back and
help us on the pitch."
France midfielder Kante could require just one week to be back to fitness.
"N'Golo twisted his knee a little bit against Juventus, and feels quite
better since the game but seems like he will be out for some days," said
Tuchel. "It's a matter of days, one week maybe.
"We still have a little bit of hopes but it will be almost a miracle if he
makes it, so we think about a week."
Romelu Lukaku has shaken off a niggling ankle problem, but the Belgium
striker remains short of match sharpness.
"Romelu is in training, and if you ask the player he will say 'yes I can
start for sure'," said Tuchel. "But there is a bit of difference between
ready for training and ready for games, then there's a difference between
being ready for games and ready for Premier League games.
"The possibility that he starts is not very high, because we can't be sure
what happens in between matches.
"We have to find the balance between giving him minutes and being absolutely
competitive with the guys who start."
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