Expert suggests Chelsea star Mendy has ‘ligament damage’ after news in last hours
The shoulder injury suffered by Edouard Mendy will be “really painful” but not a long-term issue for Chelsea.
That is the opinion 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 appear for the Blues since injuring his shoulder while on international duty with Senegal during their World Cup campaign in Qatar.
To add to his woes, Chelsea released a statement on Saturday (7 January) that Mendy had undergone an operation for a fractured finger he suffered during training.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has filled in for Mendy during his absence, but the Spaniard came under fire for his role in Manchester City’s winner on Thursday (5 January).
Dinnery is hopeful that Mendy’s shoulder injury is only a short setback, although he admitted that the diagnosis of the injury has so far been vague.
“If we were looking at an outfield player it wouldn’t be as much of a concern, but it’s the shoulder which is the tool of the goalkeeper’s trade,” the injury expert told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“It’s an injury that can be really painful to the touch and so maybe there are issues around staying comfortable and not being able to adopt positions he usually can without irritating that shoulder.
“It’s maybe more around the joint and there may have been a stretching of the ligaments or concerns of what we call an avulsion fracture.
“So far it’s very vague in terms of the diagnosis.
“What I would say is that he came through those World Cup games without any real evident issues, so that’s a sign that it was being managed really well.
“It’s certainly not something that I’m expecting to be too long-term.”
In other news, Football Insider sources reveal multiple clubs are in the race to sign Chelsea youngster Dion Rankine