Chelsea boss Graham Potter sees eighth star ruled out with injury

Chelsea manager Graham Potter reviews the Everton draw

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Chelsea have been handed another blow, with Wesley Fofana sustaining an injury to his hamstring that has ruled him out of international duty. The defender was called up to the France national team for the first time but has been forced to withdraw from the squad.

The Blues appeared to have been getting their season back on track over the past few weeks, though their 2-2 draw with Everton on Saturday indicates that there is still plenty of work to be done at Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter has come under fire for how he has struggled since joining the club, though mounting injury problems are not helping his fight.

The former Brighton boss has been without numerous key players since his appointment, and he could be without Fofana for an extended period as well. The central defender was withdrawn against Everton late on in what looked like a tactical switch, though it has now emerged that there was an issue that seems worse than first anticipated.

The 22-year-old was reportedly seen leaving the stadium with an ice pack strapped to his thigh, and the injury has prompted Fofana to withdraw from Didier Deschamps’ France team. The ex-Leicester City star has not been called up for Les Bleus previously, prompting some to grow increasingly fearful of the extent of the problem given that he would not want to sacrifice such an opportunity for something minor.

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Speaking after the match, Potter said: “(Wesley) Fofana was fantastic, defended well, drove the game but he had to come off with fatigue with his hamstring. He took responsibility. Lots of positives from the performance as a team and individually but there is a sour feeling when you don’t get the three points.”

Fofana has now become Chelsea’s eighth injury absentee, with fellow defenders Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta also enduring a spell on the sidelines. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is also nursing a wrist injury, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out with a lower back injury – though his days in the Premier League appear numbered regardless.

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Raheem Sterling also sustained a thigh problem earlier this month which has ruled him out of the England squad for the international break, with Mason Mount also not set to travel as he looks to accelerate his return from a groin injury.

Forward Armando Broja is the long-term absentee on the Blues’ injury list, with the striker rupturing his ACL in December which has ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. It remains to be seen how Potter copes with the mounting problems or if the ex-Swansea boss starts to see the benefit of having an oversized squad.

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