Callum Hudson-Odoi will miss the rest of the season – and possibly more – after rupturing his Achilles against Burnley on Monday night.
The young winger was finally getting a run in Maurizio Sarri's first team, starting his fourth consecutive league game, when he came off injured in the 41st minute of Monday night's 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are yet to release an official statement on the teenager's status but he posted on Instagram after the match, saying: "Really gutted to end my season with a Ruptured Achilles, gotta work hard and try and come back stronger for next season!!!"
Gianfranco Zola, speaking after the match for Sarri, admitted: “It doesn’t look very good unfortunately. It’s a problem with his Achilles tendon. Tomorrow we'll know exactly what the problem is."
Hudson-Odoi has been linked with a summer move to Bayern Munich after the German club made very public overtures in his direction in January, but Sarri and Chelsea have insisted that they have no intention of letting him leave – even if a reported £40m bid materialises.
Zola on Hudson-Odoi. “It doesn’t look very good unfortunately. It’s a problem with his Achilles tendon. Tomorrow we'll know exactly what the problem is." Kante injury is not thought to be serious. #CFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) April 22, 2019
All the Blues' bravado may be rendered moot this summer depending on the severity of the injury, with Bayern unlikely to splash big cash on a relatively unproven teenager if he's also on his way back from a severe injury.
While an Achilles rupture is no longer the career-derailing injury it was in previous decades, recovery times can still be lengthy – leaving Hudson-Odoi a doubt for the start of next season in just three and a half months time.
Source : 90min