Chelsea centre forward Liam Delap is set to miss at least six weeks of action due to the shoulder injury he suffered against Bournemouth, as per Alex Crook
Before this latest injury concern, Delap, who joined Chelsea for £30m from Ipswich Town last summer, had already spent 59 days unavailable due to the muscular issue he picked up in August in the clash with Fulham.
The 22-year-old’s season worsened again when he suffered a suspected shifted shoulder after pulling down Marcos Senesi during a dead-ball situation.
That moment appeared to come from Delap engaging in a robust contest with Senesi, having come together with the Argentine centre-back off the play and catching him with an unintended hand moments beforehand.
When asked about Delap’s injury on Saturday, Maresca said:
‘Unfortunately, he was already out for two months, and he has to be out again.
‘We don’t know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder.’
After sustaining a hamstring injury against Fulham earlier this season, Delap could face another stint on the sidelines and potentially be out of action until February.
This is according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, who claims that the Englishman will miss the next six to eight weeks due to the shoulder injury he suffered at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
This suggests he might miss as many as 13 Chelsea fixtures in the coming weeks.
Blow
Delap’s chances at Chelsea have been restricted, whether through injuries, competition for places, or disciplinary problems.
However, the English forward was beginning to find form when he scored the decisive third goal in Chelsea’s commanding 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona.
Excluding the Club World Cup, that close-range finish against the Spaniards represented his first goal for the UEFA Conference League winners. This season, he has managed only eight Premier League appearances.
Chelsea have a pre-agreement in place with Strasbourg’s forward Emanuel Emegha, who will move to Stamford Bridge next summer.
However, that move could be brought forward to January, particularly with Nicholas Jackson’s desire to find opportunities elsewhere following last summer’s transfer deadline fiasco.
