Dario Essugo has been injured while traveling with Portugal’s Under-21 team, adding to Chelsea’s ongoing injury woes. After joining the Blues for £18.5 million in June from Sporting, the midfield player has yet to start a game and is currently in a race to be fit for Saturday’s West London derby against Brentford.
Essugo is seen as Chelsea’s backup to Moises Caicedo, and his absence will limit Enzo Maresca’s choices in the midfield. The Portuguese Football Federation revealed the nature of the problem in a statement: Due to a muscular issue in his right thigh that he developed after training, the Chelsea midfielder was excused from practice. After being assessed by the Health and Performance Department of the Portuguese Football Federation, the athlete was deemed unavailable.
Chelsea already lacks a number of important players, such as Cole Palmer due to a groin issue and Levi Colwill due to an ACL rupture. Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, and Liam Delap are also out, making the team appear lean at a pivotal point in the season.
Players could miss Brentford vs Chelsea
Essugo has made three appearances as a substitute, all against Palmeiras, ES Tunis, and LAFC at the Club World Cup. Despite being benched in all three of this season’s Premier League games, he has yet to make his league debut.
Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are comparable. The two, who have been out of action for a long time, were seen playing earlier this week at the club’s training camp. However, considering their respective injury histories, this Saturday could be too soon for them, and Maresca is trying to be cautious to prevent such issues in the future.
Maresca now has to choose between rearranging his midfield options and depending more on Caicedo, which might wear him out with a busy schedule. This most recent setback highlights Chelsea’s growing difficulties in striking a balance between squad performance and fitness during a season that has already tried their depth.
