Blow for Chelsea! Niamh Charles leaves pitch in tears after suffering serious arm injury in Blues' WSL warm-up against Feyenoord

Sonia Bompastor has had a positive start to life as Emma Hayes' successor, winning her first three games in pre-season, but in the most recent, a 9-0 win over Feyenoord, Charles had to be substituted after landing awkwardly on her arm. The Blues' defender looked emotional as she walked off the pitch with a makeshift sling.

Chelsea open the WSL season in 13 days and with the scenes of Charles leaving the pitch, it is a sight that Bompastor did not want to see. Aston Villa are their opponents at Kingsmeadow on Friday 20th, and Charles has been an influential member for the Blues since she arrived from Liverpool in 2020.

Charles arrived at Chelsea as an attacker, but she has now reimagined herself as a combative full-back and was one of Hayes' most relied-on players towards the end of her Chelsea career. She had featured in both of the friendly games, which included a tight 1-0 win against Arsenal in USA.

The severity of the injury has not been announced but time is not on her or Chelsea's side, with less than two weeks until the season kicks-off. If she is unable to battle back from the arm injury, Alejandra Bernabe could be chucked into the deep end after her arrival from Real Sociedad.