How long will Robert Sanchez be out for? Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino delivers worrying injury update on £25m goalkeeper

The 26-year-old shot-stopper moved to Stamford Bridge from Brighton for £25 million ($32m) during the summer transfer window. He has taken in 19 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, but it is unclear when he will be cleared to take in his next outing.

Sanchez is nursing a knee problem that was initially picked up against Manchester United and forced him from the field late on in a meeting with Everton. Djorde Petrovic stepped in for his first start of the season in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United.

Pochettino has said when asked for an update on Sanchez and when he could come back into contention: “It is an injury that’s going to be for a few weeks, I don’t know if two, three, four, five or six. We will assess day-by-day to know how to follow it. His recovery will depend on him and the reaction of his knee and it is difficult to say in two or three weeks but we hope [he is back] as soon as possible.”

Injuries have become an unfortunate theme for Chelsea in the 2023-24 campaign, with club captain Reece James also being assessed after picking up a thigh problem, while Marc Cucurella has undergone surgery on an ankle complaint. Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Romeo Lavia, Trevoh Chalobah, Lesley Ugochukwu, Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke are also on the sidelines at present.