Medical expert: Graham Potter ‘frustrated’ by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang amid Chelsea fitness update
Graham Potter is frustrated by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s lack of availability at Chelsea following his lower-back injury.
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.
Aubameyang was absent from Chelsea’s 4-0 loss to Man City in the FA Cup this week after suffering a lower-back injury in the Premier League clash against the same opposition.
The 33-year-old was brought on to replace Raheem Sterling after five minutes and was then taken back off by Potter just after the hour mark.
The Gabonese forward has scored just once for the Blues since his summer switch from Barcelona.
Dinnery doesn’t expect Aubameyang’s back injury to be significant but insists that it sums up his “miserable” spell at Chelsea this season.
“It’s nothing that I expect to be a major setback, just a little bit of tightness in that lower back,” he told Football Insider.
“Overall it sums up what has been a miserable time at Stamford Bridge for Aubameyang.
“In terms of his fitness, he should be in and around that Chelsea squad every week.
“But his performances and poor fitness will have Potter frustrated and scratching his head.
“He was replaced against Manchester City after 60 minutes and with Armando Broja on the sidelines, Aubameyang should be staking a claim for that starting spot.
“But it just hasn’t happened and his fitness has played a part in that.
“He left Arsenal with a little bit of a whimper and he hasn’t really come back and pulled up any trees in the Premier League.”
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