Injury expert: Jorginho’s ‘long-term health’ at risk after Chelsea setback
Chelsea superstar Jorginho may need a spell on the sidelines to recover from a niggling back issue when the fixture schedule permits.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
As quoted by football.london last Sunday (12 December), Jorginho revealed: “My back is not in the best condition but when you need to push yourself even more to help your team it’s what you have to do.”
Jorginho, 29, has missed just two league matches all season and is set to be available against Everton tonight (16 December).
But Dinnery predicts that the Italian midfielder may be afforded a rest to aid his rehab when the fixture programme relents.
“For the manager, you want players who will run through brick walls for you,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“They will put everything on the line for the club. Given the fact they’ve lost Kante and Kovacic, that’s what Jorginho’s done.
“He is a model professional who has stood up and been counted. But is that to the detriment of his performances and his long-term health?
“Tuchel has admitted that he is spending more time with the physios than he is on the training pitches to make sure he’s ready to start these games.
“It’s not ideal but everything is about risk and reward. Few players are 100 per cent fit at this time of year.
“Hopefully his pain and discomfort won’t have too much impact in the long-term, but he has to be managed sensibly.
“It’s a case of fighting fires and doing what needs to be done at the moment.
“When the fixture schedule looks a little better, we might see Jorginho taken out of that starting lineup.”
Jorginho has registered six goals and one assist in 20 appearances across all competitions this term.
He finished third in the 2021 Ballon d’Or vote after winning the European Championship with Italy.
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