Chelsea could be without striker Liam Delap until December due a hamstring injury he suffered in a 2-0 win over Fulham before the international break, Afrosport reports.
The 22-year-old played only 14 minutes in the game at Stamford Bridge on 31 August, before being replaced by Tyrique George. Goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Maresca earned the Blues a controversial victory.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on Friday confirmed Delap could be sideline for 10 to 12 weeks. But the London club are eyeing an early return in November, after the England striker avoided surgery.
Delap sealed a £30 million switch to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich in June and scored once in their Club World Cup triumph. He led Ipswich with 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season but has yet to find the net this season for Chelsea.
His injury led the Blues to recall striker Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland, with Senegal international Nicolas Jackson joining Bayern Munich in a loan deal with an option to buy.
Speaking in his pre-match conference, Maresca said the team can cope with Delap’s absence and will make do with their available options.
“No, Liam [Delap], I think is around 10, 12 weeks. So, long way to go,” he said. “For us, the only number nine is [Marc] Guiu and Joao [Pedro] can play there, and against Fulham we used Ty [George].”
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Meanwhile, Chelsea are set to welcome Cole Palmer back into the squad after the 23-year-old missed their last two matches with a groin injury. The former Manchester City forward could feature in their trip to Brentford this Saturday, their fourth straight London derby.
“Cole took part in [the] session yesterday for the first time, not the entire session.” the Italian added.
“We have one more session this afternoon and we are going to try with him to see if he’s OK, otherwise he will be out tomorrow. He is recovering from an injury. When he is available, we need to manage him because of the amount of games.”
