Enzo Maresca gives positive Chelsea injury update ahead of Premier League clash vs Manchester City

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Chelsea fans will all have the same answer when asked what held them back for the majority of last season.

The club were ravaged by injury problems to a number of key players last season, and this unfortunately included new signings too at Stamford Bridge.

Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku were impacted to the point where they were hardly able to feature in their debut campaigns for Chelsea.

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They look to be on the road to putting that right, with Nkunku picking up praise from his manager in pre-season.

Another key figure who hardly played was Reece James, with his first season as club captain not going as planned.

Reece James the only injury for Chelsea

Reports broke that he has already been affected again this season, with supporters showing signs of frustration at his constant problems.

In a rare positive for Chelsea though on this front, Maresca confirmed he was the only player injured, and the rest of the squad are ready to go for the opening day clash against Manchester City.

He said to Football London: “One injury is Reece James. The rest are all fit.”

The fact that James would not have been available for this game anyway due to a suspension means the Blues are as fit as they can be for the opening day fixture.

Malo Gusto to replace Reece James

Malo Gusto is likely to start in the England international’s place, with his fitness and versatility being two real takeaways from his personal pre-season.

As for the captain’s armband, that is likely to end up with Enzo Fernandez, who has been named one of the vices for this season.

Ben Chilwell is likely not to start for the Blues after it emerged from pre-season that the boss was struggling to find a way for him to feature in his system.

This has reportedly left the left-back frustrated with his personal situation at the club, as he considers his options in the final two weeks of the window.