Chelsea have been hit by a significant blow after striker Nicolas Jackson was ruled out until after the international break at the end of March.
Jackson had a scan on Wednesday that confirmed he has suffered damage to his hamstring and will not be available until Chelsea’s game against Tottenham Hotspur on April 2 at the earliest.
Chelsea are confident the squad can cope with Jackson’s absence, but head coach Enzo Maresca will be without an out-and-out striker for the foreseeable future with Marc Guiu also out injured.
Maresca and Chelsea had believed that Jackson would not be ruled out too long with the injury he suffered in the victory over West Ham United after he initially reacted well to the problem.
But a final scan on Wednesday confirmed their worst fears and Jackson now faces a significant time on the sidelines, as Chelsea look to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Jackson will miss Friday night’s trip to Brighton, as well as the journey to Aston Villa and games against Southampton, Leicester City and Arsenal.
Christopher Nkunku filled in as a striker in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton in Jackson’s absence last weekend and Maresca is now likely to choose between the Frenchman and Cole Palmer as a false nine.
Maresca last week said that 19-year-old Guiu, Chelsea’s other out-and-out striker, will be out for some time with the injury he also suffered in the West Ham game.
Chelsea had looked at signing a new striker or left winger in the January transfer window, but eventually decided to pursue their top targets ahead of the summer transfer window.
Both Nkunku and Palmer have proved they can score plenty of goals, which is why Chelsea and Maresca are optimistic the team can cope with Jackson’s loss.
But the injury is still a significant blow with Chelsea in fourth in the Premier League table, having won two of their last eight League games.
Jackson posted a picture of himself receiving treatment on social media on Wednesday with the message ‘Time and silence’.
