18 July 2023 , 13:36
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Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has undergone surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
The France international was left out of Mauricio Pochettino's 29-man squad which travelled to the United States for their pre-season after picking up a knee injury. The Blues confirmed on Monday that Fofana would remain at Cobham and his problem was being assessed by the club's medical department.
After undergoing a scan on the issue, Fofana has learnt the outcome and the results are devastating for the young centre-back.
Chelsea posted a statement on the club's website which read: "Defender Wesley Fofana has undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.
"The 22-year-old did not travel to America for the club's pre-season tour due to specialist medical assessments, which unfortunately confirmed that an operation would be required.
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"Wesley will now begin his recovery and work with the club's medical department at Cobham during his rehabilitation phase."
Fofana has been very unfortunate with injuries over the past few years. In August 2021, he sustained a broken leg while playing for Leicester against Villarreal in a pre-season friendly.
He was ruled out for over seven months and returned for the Foxes' Europa Conference League last-16 second-leg trip to Rennes in March 2022. Fofana immediately showcased his importance to the Leicester side as he scored the equaliser to help Leicester book their place in the quarter-final.
Following an impressive end to that season, Fofana attracted interest from several European clubs, including Chelsea, for his signature. Despite the speculation, Fofana began the Premier League season at Leicester and started their opening two games of the season against Brentford and Arsenal.
Chelsea's Wesley Fofana has suffered another serious injury (Getty Images)But after missing the Foxes' home defeat to Southampton and the subsequent trip to Stamford Bridge, Fofana was finally unveiled as a Chelsea player following a summer-long transfer saga. The Blues paid Leicester around £70million for Fofana, who penned a seven-year deal in west London.
Fofana started life at Chelsea brightly before suffering a knee injury in early October, which saw him miss the World Cup with France. Four days after returning to training, Fofana suffered a recurring problem, meaning he was ruled out for a further two months.
The ex-Saint-Etienne defender returned to first-team action in February, however, and played in all but two Premier League matches from that point until the end of the season. Fofana also started both legs of the- Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid and began to re-find his best form.
This latest setback is a cruel one for Fofana, who played for France in the June internationals.
He was due to fly out with the rest of his Chelsea teammates to the United States for five friendlies on Monday. Mauricio Pochettino's side take on Wrexham on Thursday, before facing Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund.