£30m Chelsea player pulls out of international duty due to injury

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The story that surrounded Chelsea last season was that their players were struggling more than anyone else’s to stay fit.

This caused a real issue at Stamford Bridge, and is likely a big factor as to why they were not able to finish higher than sixth in the Premier League table.

So far under Enzo Maresca, issues have cropped up still in minor ways, with Romeo Lavia and Reece James suffering small issues that are not believed to be long-term.

• READ MORE: ‘Gifted’ Chelsea player is proving to be one of Enzo Maresca’s most important players this season

This weekend’s draw with Crystal Palace though saw their first player forced off with an issue where the severity is not yet known.

Malo Gusto, who has started all three league games this season, was replaced late in the London derby, with some concern over a muscle injury he had sustained.

Malo Gusto withdraws from international duty due to injury

The Frenchman had been selected to represent his country at U21 level in the upcoming international break following his impressive Blues career since his £30m move.

However, according to the Evening Standard, he is now no longer meeting up with the camp, instead remaining at Cobham to get the full diagnosis and treatment on his issue.

If Gusto is set to be out for a prolonged period of time, attention will turn to whether or not Chelsea can yet turn to their club captain for regular minutes.

Chelsea hoping Reece James is ready

Maresca previously stated he had hoped James would be ready to go after the internationals were done, and he wouldn’t of been able to feature in the opening games of the season anyway due to a suspension carrying over from the previous campaign.

If neither natural option are available, the manager could opt for the wildcard option of starting Moises Caicedo in the wide defensive role.

He opted to try Caicedo there at times during pre-season, and he has previously shown at Brighton that he is capable of completing this job to a good level.