Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane has given a positive update on Levi Colwill.
Colwill has not played a game all season because of an ACL injury; however, the defender could return to action before the campaign concludes.
Chelsea are continuing to play it safe with Colwill after such a serious injury, but supporters may very well get to see him soon.
Dreaming of a defence with Colwill and James 😍
Estevao, Gittens and Filip Jorgensen remain injured.
Chelsea star Levi Colwill in a ‘really good place’
An anterior cruciate ligament rupture is one of the worst injuries a footballer can suffer, but McFarlane says Colwill is in a “really good place” and has looked “brilliant” since recovering.
While the central defender is yet to feature for the first team, he has been training with them and has even played the full 90 minutes of an under-21 game.
Ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Monday afternoon, McFarlane told reporter Bobby Vincent: “When someone has had an injury that long, you have to be patient, not rush, take it day-by-day. Things can change day-by-day, his feeling can change day-by-day so we just take it step-by-step and when he feels ready to play then he will play.
“We just need to manage his minutes in those moments to not push him too much because we don’t want to risk re-injuring him but he looks brilliant, looks in a really good place. We are really hopeful we can see him before the end of the season.”
With Colwill injured and Wesley Fofana out of form, McFarlane went with a centre-back partnership of Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo in Chelsea’s last game, a 1-0 win against Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final.
Adarabioyo was excellent against Daniel Farke’s side so will be hoping that he has done enough to keep his place in the team for Monday’s match.
When Levi Colwill could return
The Forest clash may come too soon for Colwill, while Chelsea’s following two games may be too much for the 23-year-old.
After the visit of Forest, Chelsea play Liverpool at Anfield and then Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Those are going to be two matches of high intensity; it would be risky to throw someone who has just recovered from an ACL injury into either of them.
With that in mind, Colwill is most likely to make his return against Tottenham Hotspur on 19 May or against Sunderland in Chelsea’s final game of the season.
This campaign will have to be a write-off, but Gary Cahill is backing Colwill to have a successful 2026/27 season.
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