Chelsea hit by ‘massive blow’ as Edouard Mendy faces ‘months out’ – expert
Edouard Mendy has suffered a fractured finger at Chelsea and will be out of action for around two months.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Mendy is yet to feature for Chelsea since the World Cup break, with the 30-year-old suffering a shoulder injury while away with Senegal.
Upon his return to Stamford Bridge, Mendy has suffered yet another setback with a fractured finger now extending his spell on the sidelines.
Chelsea released an official statement on Saturday (7 January) stating that Mendy had undergone an operation on his finger and will work closely with the medical staff during rehabilitation.
His absence has been felt by the Blues, who have won just one of their last nine fixtures across all competitions.
Dinnery expects Mendy to target March as his ideal return date.
“It’s a massive blow for Chelsea and for Mendy himself,” Dinnery told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“He wants to be forcing his way back into that Chelsea starting lineup again but has faced another setback.
“For an injury like this we’re looking in the region of six to potentially eight weeks.
“You cannot rule out a return before that, but as a ballpark estimate, you’re looking in and around two months out.
“So there’s a lot of pressure on Kepa to perform and make sure that he stays fit because he has also suffered injuries recently which can always flare up again.
“Chelsea will have their fingers crossed that Mendy makes a swift return, but it looks like March is a realistic target for him.“
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