Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed that winger Jamie Gittens has torn his hamstring and is expected to be sidelined for quite some time.
Gittens sustained the hamstring injury in Chelsea‘s win over West Ham last week.
The 21-year-old was among Chelsea’s starters in the match but only stayed on the pitch for 26 minutes before being forced off with the injury.
At the time, Rosenior admitted that he could not confirm the extent of the injury.
The winger was then unsurprisingly left out of the squad for Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal on Tuesday.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, Gittens is unlikely to be back anytime soon after Rosenior revealed the big blow.
IMAGO / Visionhaus© IMAGO / Visionhaus
“Jamie is looking more long-term,” Rosenior said in his press conference on Thursday.
“It’s a real shame. A tear in his hamstring.
“I can’t ever say, it’s too early (to say how long).”
Gittens’ long-term absence is obviously a big blow to the team’s firepower.
While he is yet to establish himself as a regular starter, he has still played an important rotation role in the left winger position, having made 27 appearances for the club this season across all competitions.
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This leaves Chelsea with only three natural winger options: Pedro Neto, Estevao, and Alejandro Garnacho, and neither has been able to consistently perform due to various reasons.
Bear in mind that Chelsea recently sent young left winger Tyrique George on loan to Everton.
Cole Palmer is more than capable of playing as a right winger, allowing Pedro Neto or Estevao to provide cover on the left, but Chelsea also have limited options for the number 10 role.
