Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is set for a spell on the sidelines as he prepares to undergo surgery in the final weeks of the Premier League season.
The World Cup winner is having a hernia removed after revealing he has been struggling with the issue for weeks.
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This included the recent FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City and his absence is a huge blow for head coach Mauricio Pochettino who still has hopes of guiding the Blues to a top-six finish.
Fernandez’s decision to have surgery ahead of the season’s conclusion comes with the summer’s Copa America in mind.
Argentina are the current holders having beaten rivals Brazil in 2021, before going on to lift the World Cup in Qatar a year later.
Fernandez was a standout performer for his country during the winter tournament and is hopeful of having a similar impact in the USA this summer.
Enzo Fernandez’s season with Chelsea is over after having surgery on an ongoing hernia injury, according to multiple reports 🤕 pic.twitter.com/wTImiP3fRH
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 25, 2024
Reports claim the 23-year-old will need at least three weeks to recover, meaning his chances of turning out for Chelsea again this term are slim with the campaign scheduled to conclude on 19 May.
His injury has been used as a potential explanation for his below-par performances in recent weeks but Pochettino believes his star midfielder is simply still adapting to the Premier League.
He said: “For Enzo, after the World Cup to arrive here, in a team that was inconsistent, difficult to get positive results, always it was really difficult.
“In the summer he was involved in too many games and he arrived late in pre-season, he hasn’t had a holiday in the last two years.
“Too many negative things happened. [It was] difficult for him to adapt, his family. It’s not easy to adapt and perform so quickly.
“For sure he is going to be much better next season, after the experience of the whole season in this squad and this team.
“He’s more experienced, he gets better feelings. The whole season is good for him to learn.
“Even if he is a world champion, he needs to adapt to the Premier League and to this club. For me, there is no doubt that he is going to be much better.”
