Chelsea have suffered a huge injury blow after manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed summer signing Moises Caicedo missed the Bournemouth clash due to a knock in his knee, according to Football.London.
Caicedo was in action for Ecuador during their 2026 South American World Cup qualifiers. He featured in both games against Argentina and Uruguay. Ecuador lost 1-0 to the 2022 FIFA World Cup champions but picked up all three points following an impressive 2-1 win over Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
The versatile midfielder lasted the entire duration of the qualifiers as he set sights on helping his country secure qualification for the next global showpiece.
However, he appears to have picked up a knock while away with his country. Pochettino, speaking ahead of Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, confirmed that Caicedo has a knee injury. The midfielder will be accessed in the next few days to determine the severity of the issue.
“Moises Caicedo arrived back from international duty with a knock in his knee,” the former Tottenham boss said.
“We need to assess him in the next few days but he wasn’t available for today, that’s why he not here.”
The Blues have been unlucky with injuries this season and the absence of the 21-year-old will see the squad stretched over the coming weeks.
He joins fellow summer signing Romeo Lavia on the treatment table with the former Southampton midfielder set to return to full training after the October international break, having limped out of training last week.
Disappointing start
Caicedo would hope the latest injury he sustained while on international duty will not rule him out for several weeks after a slow start to his Chelsea career.
The South American moved to Stamford Bridge for a British club record of £115m but he has failed to produce solid performances for the West Londoners.
Last season, he was ever-present for Brighton as he helped Roberto De Zerbi’s side secure UEFA Europa League qualification by finishing 6th in the league table. Caicedo featured in 43 games and made two goal contributions for the Seagulls, recording impressive wins over Liverpool and Manchester United at Amex stadium.
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