Big blow – Chelsea star withdraws from international duty with injury confirmed
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Chelsea’s young star, Malo Gusto, has pulled out of international duty with France’s Under-21 squad due to a thigh injury he sustained during the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. Gusto, who had been filling in as Chelsea’s starting right-back in the absence of Reece James, was forced off the pitch in the second half of Sunday’s match at Stamford Bridge.
The injury occurred when Gusto appeared to pull up while holding the back of his leg, prompting his substitution with 15 minutes remaining in the game. Initially, he had been named in the France Under-21 squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and had even joined up with the team on Monday. However, he is now one of three players who have withdrawn from the squad, alongside Lens midfielder Andy Diouf and Burnley defender Maxime Estève. The French Football Federation confirmed that Gusto is dealing with a thigh issue.
Chelsea will resume Premier League action with an away match against Bournemouth on September 14th, and the club will be hopeful that Gusto can recover in time for that fixture. After the Crystal Palace draw, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca commented, “We will see what happens. It looks like a muscle problem, and we are going to see.”
Gusto has been Chelsea’s first-choice right-back while Reece James has been sidelined, not only due to a three-match ban carried over from last season but also because of a hamstring injury. This injury also prevented James from participating in Chelsea’s Europa Conference League playoff games against Servette. Last week, Maresca expressed optimism that James would be fit to return after the international break.
Adding to Chelsea’s injury woes, Enzo Fernandez was another player who had to be assisted off the pitch by the club’s medical team during the same match. Chelsea’s start to the season has been mixed, with four points from their first three games, including a heavy 6-2 victory over Wolves following an opening-day defeat.
