Wesley Fofana's injury message offers Chelsea hope ahead of Southampton & Spurs fixtures | OneFootball

Chelsea will be hoping Wesley Fofana's hamstring injury isn't too serious to keep him sidelined during their busy festive schedule.

The 23-year-old was forced off after 60 minutes during their 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon due to a hamstring problem.

Head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed it was 'bad news' regarding the Chelsea defender and they could be without Fofana for over a month.

"Unfortunately it is bad news," reacted Maresca post-match. "A hamstring problem. These kind of things usually require three, four, five weeks. In this moment, we lose him for 10 or 12 games. In the way he was playing, it's a big loss for us but we have more players and we can find a solution."

"It's a big loss, it's a big loss. He is doing fantastic but it is normal when you play this amount of games. Fortunately it was his first injury of the season but we will find a solution."

Fofana's setback will leave him frustrated after he started to find momentum. / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

It's the beginning of a very busy month for Maresca's Blues. They face Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Astana, Brentford, Shamrock Rovers, Everton, Fulham and Ipswich Town before 2024 concludes.

Fortunately for Chelsea, Maresca has several options should Fofana be sidelined. Benoit Badiashile, who replaced Fofana on Sunday, Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi are all senior options to play alongside Levi Colwill in the heart of the defence.

However, Fofana has offered a glimmer of hope that his hamstring injury isn't as bad as initially stated by Maresca, suggesting that his substitution against Villa was due to a 'slight muscle warning' which is 'nothing serious'.

He wrote on Instagram: "A slight muscle warning, as often happens after long injuries, nothing serious, the body is adjusting. We’ll come back stronger, as always. Trust your guy!"

🔗 Instagram

Maresca is expected to provide an update on the Frenchman's condition during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday morning at Chelsea's Cobham training base.