Chelsea dealt fresh injury blow to add to early-season fitness woes as midfielder is sidelined on international duty

Essugo, who joined Chelsea from Sporting CP in June for £18.5 million, has been serving as an understudy to Moises Caicedo and was pushing for more minutes this season. He has so far only featured as a substitute at the Club World Cup. With injuries galore at Chelsea so far, it was expected that he would get minutes in the Premier League. However, the Portuguese FA has now confirmed that Essugo has suffered a muscle issue.

The Portugal FA released a statement which read: “The Chelsea midfielder was excused from training due to a muscle problem in his right thigh, which he suffered after training. The athlete was evaluated by the Portuguese Football Federation’s Health and Performance Department and was declared unavailable.”

Chelsea’s injury problems continue to mount, leaving Enzo Maresca short on depth. Colwill is already out long-term, while Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap and Benoit Badiashile are also sidelined. Essugo’s absence could force the Blues to dig deeper into the squad if he isn't fit to at least feature on the bench against Brentford.

Chelsea face Brentford in a west London derby this weekend and will assess Essugo’s condition before then. The Blues hope his setback is only short-term as they manage a growing fitness crisis. Maresca’s squad depth will be tested further if the midfielder is ruled out for longer.