Wesley Fofana back out on the grass is not a sight that many Chelsea fans expected to see this week.
Blues centre-back Wesley Fofana, 22, hasn’t kicked a ball this season after he underwent anterior cruciate ligament surgery in the summer.
Journalist Simon Phillips reported via his Substack last month that sources feared Fofana wouldn’t return from injury until the end of the 2023/24 season.
However, the Blues shared via their X account yesterday images of the defender on the pitches at Cobham. This included the caption: “Back on the grass”.
We’ll have to wait for further confirmation from Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino about the 22-year-old’s fitness, but the signs certainly seem pretty encouraging.
Injury boost
Fofana uploaded a post on Instagram on Thursday to alert supporters to his recovery.
“Back on track,” he wrote alongside a coming soon emoji.
This includes responses in the comment section from club teammates such as Malo Gusto and Ian Maatsen.
In addition, Arsenal and France centre-back William Saliba expressed his delight towards the update. He’s certainly rivals with Fofana at club level, but they’re two of the most highly-rated young centre-halves in French football.
Don’t forget Wesley Fofana
Pochettino’s not had the chance to work with Fofana since arriving at Chelsea, but our guess is that he’ll grow into a key player under him further down the line.
If the French talent can get over the injury problems that have halted his progress in recent years, we think he can emerge as one of the Premier League’s very best centre-backs.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on X this week that Pochettino rates Fofana highly and considers him part of his future at Stamford Bridge.
Let’s hope for some positive news now about the defender’s potential return date.
Fofana’s possible return is only going to strengthen a squad that is now beginning to look pretty powerful with all the returnees.
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