‘Ben Chilwell injury’ and ‘Kevin de Bruyne injury’ are not the headlines Chelsea and Manchester City fans wanted to see over the international break.
But they’re here.
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England and Chelsea left back Chilwell, 23, is dealing with a preexisting foot injury and has returned to his club for further assessment.
Chilwell didn’t even play for England in their first two games of the international break as he had to stay away from the squad due to breaking COVID-19 regulations along with England teammates Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho.
The Leicester City left back, who joined Chelsea for $65 million this summer, grabbed a goal and an assist on his first Premier League start for the Blues as they crushed Crystal Palace 4-0 before the international break.
Frank Lampard will give an update on Chilwell ahead of their home game against Southampton on Saturday (Watch live, 10am ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com), as Marcos Alonso will step in if he’s unavailable.
As for Manchester City, hearing the news that Kevin de Bruyne has an injury is far from ideal as the playmaker has returned from international duty with Belgium.
De Bruyne, 29, was majestic for Belgium despite their 2-1 UEFA Nations League defeat to England at Wembley and Roberto Martinez’s side will be without their talismanic star for their game against Iceland on Wednesday.
Like Chilwell, De Bruyne has returned to his club side to undergo further assessment as it has been reported he needs more rest after a slight hip issue.
Belgium boss Martinez took De Bruyne off in the second half of the defeat to England but played down injury fears. Man City fans will be hoping De Bruyne is fit for their game against Arsenal on Saturday (Watch live, 12:30pm ET on NBC and online via NBCSports.com).
With Premier League stars flying all over the world to represent their countries during the international break the main concern clubs had was players being exposed to, and contracting, COVID-19.
Premier League managers, as always, will be hoping for the best when their squads return on Thursday.
