Chelsea have been handed a sizeable boost after Jamie Gittens received medical clearance to remain with England’s Under-21 squad, easing concerns that the winger had suffered a serious setback during Friday’s 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland. The £48.5 million summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund had the alarm bells ringing at Stamford Bridge when he hobbled off midway through the second half at St. Andrew’s.
Eventful night for Chelsea’s Young Lions
England U21 boss Lee Carsley handed Gittens and fellow Chelsea youngster Tyrique George starts against Ireland. George capped his performance by scoring a late second goal, while Gittens was central to the action throughout the first half. He even won a penalty after weaving past defenders and drawing contact inside the area. But Divin Mubama, who is on loan at Stoke City from Manchester City, saw his effort from the spot pushed away by the Irish goalkeeper. Former Chelsea academy product Lewis Hall later engineered a second penalty around the hour mark. This time, Mubama made no mistake as he converted from the spot and swept England into a deserved lead.
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Gittens fell heavily after what appeared to be another foul in the box. However, subsequent appeals for a penalty were waved away. The winger rose gingerly as he was clearly impaired by the challenge. He avoided further involvement and barely touched the ball before signalling to the bench that he could not continue. By the time Fulham’s Josh King came on to replace him, the 21-year-old looked visibly troubled, clutching his thigh as he made his way towards the tunnel. Enzo Maresca, who is already wary of a mounting injury list, feared the worst. However, according to Gittens reported no lingering issues when assessed later, and he will now travel with Carsley’s squad for Tuesday’s Euro U21 qualifier in Slovakia.
Getty Images SportChelsea’s injury cloud after international turmoil
The Blues have been navigating a difficult run with injuries. Pedro Neto was forced to withdraw from Portugal duty with a groin complaint he suffered shortly after scoring against Wolves. Cole Palmer, meanwhile, is not expected to be fit anytime soon and will miss the next couple of fixtures. Mykhailo Mudryk remains unavailable due to his provisional suspension following a positive doping test last year. It is a situation that has left Maresca short of natural wide players. With such a lengthy list of absentees, the prospect of losing Gittens would have been another significant blow.
The winger is gradually finding his feet in the English top flight, and former Chelsea forward Florent Malouda is confident that he will shine after the adaptation period.
"It’s a learning process," Malouda told in an interview with . "When you are so young and join a club like Chelsea, you have to build your confidence. It is part of the journey. The talent is there (with Gittens), it is how you are able to perform at this level. When you are young, you have to be fearless, that is the only way.
"The club believes in him, it is just how he is able to prove to the people at the club who put their trust in him that he belongs to this club. The beauty of football is that with one goal, one assist, a sparkle from Jamie, you can turn things around. You should also believe that you can do it and deliver on a regular basis. He can light the stadium on fire with one goal, and then it starts."
Getty Images SportGarnacho steps up amid injury woes
Alejandro Garnacho seems to have found his rhythm in attack. He started against Wolves and delivered one of his most mature performances. His work without the ball drew particular admiration from Maresca, who highlighted the young forward’s evolution since arriving from a club where his training standards, according to the Italian, had not been at their peak.
"Garna played a fantastic game on the ball," Maresca said. "But he was also top without the ball. Pedro Neto was exactly the same, and this is what we need from our wingers. He [Garnacho] arrived here from another club where he was not training 100 per cent, so his physical condition was not good. Slowly, slowly [we have worked on that] and now it's better. He is doing very well on the ball and is doing well off the ball. He knows that, to play with us, he has to be good on the ball and off the ball. We are very happy with him in this moment."