Ben Chilwell, 26, has been sidelined since late September with a hamstring problem.

The English left-back has seen several injuries disrupt his Blues career in recent years, so this is another one to add to the frustrating list.

He’s a senior figure and vice-captain in a very young squad at Stamford Bridge. Thankfully, Marc Cucurella’s enjoyed a renaissance in form to cover very well at full-back.

2024 return

Matt Law doesn’t think Chelsea fans will see Chilwell back on the pitch during the rest of 2023.

If true, this would be another real blow for Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

“I don’t think we’ll see Chilwell again this year. He’s another one they’ve got to be careful with,” Law told the London Is Blue channel.

“I was told the fact he went to LA was encouraging because they were getting it done before the international break rather than in the international break, which would suggest maybe he’s ahead of schedule because I think probably the first thought would be to let a player go to somewhere like LA for a bit of warm weather while it’s the international break and there’s not many people around Cobham. But the fact he did it early might suggest he’s on track for a bit earlier.

“I’d be quite surprised if we see him again this year.”

Frustrating for Ben Chilwell

We know just how good Chilwell can be for Chelsea when he’s fit and firing, but he does get a worryingly amount of injuries. The same goes for his full-back partner Reece James, too.

Speaking via Football.London back in September, Pochettino described Chilwell and James as two of the best full-backs in the world. The England defenders do make all the difference when they’re playing well.

We’re hopeful that Chilwell can get a full recovery on this latest injury and return fresh for the second half the campaign.

The £50million (Sky Sports) energetic defender is tailor-made for what Pochettino is trying to implement at the Bridge. However, we need him to get over these problems.

In the meantime, Cucurella’s got to stay focused on maintaining this form and making it impossible to dislodge him from the best starting line-up. He’s currently showing why the club decided to invest heavily him in last year, providing serious competition and cover for Chilwell.