Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has revealed that Cesc Fabregas continues to be bothered by a knee injury which is restricting him in his recovery.
The Spaniard featured in the Community Shield defeat to Man City at the start of the month, but has since been unable to feature for the Blues in the Premier League due to a knee injury.
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In his absence, the likes of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic are emerging as Sarri’s top options in midfield, and so he’ll be desperate to get back as soon as possible to stake his claim for a place in the starting line-up.
However, based on the latest prognosis from the Italian tactician, it doesn’t sound as though Fabregas is going to be back in action any time soon as he has yet to be given the green light to work on the training pitch.
“Cesc is still out,” he is quoted as telling the media by the Daily Star. “He is working in water. We hope that next week he will be able to work on the pitch.
“I am sure the injury is not serious, but he has pain in the knee. The pain is still there so for him it is impossible to run on the pitch, only in water.”
The 31-year-old made 49 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring three goals while providing nine assists as he continued to form an important part of former boss Antonio Conte’s plans.
Now with Sarri at the helm, time will tell if he can establish himself in a similarly important role, but especially with Jorginho shining at Stamford Bridge given his previous working relationship with Sarri at Napoli, it’s questionable as to whether Fabregas will get into the side even when fit.
Nevertheless, with cup competitions and the Europa League to consider, Sarri will hope to have as many options at his disposal as possible as the season goes on.