Chelsea star ‘suffers injury setback as Enzo Maresca is hit with fresh blow’ to his forward line amid striker crisis

Chelsea have been hit by another injury blow after it was revealed that Noni Madueke is set to be out until the international break in March.

The 22-year-old winger suffered a hamstring injury in the Blues 3-0 defeat by Brighton in the Premier League last week.

The disappointing performance at the American Express Stadium has dropped Chelsea to sixth place in the standings amid their attempt to qualify to the Champions League next season.

According to The Telegraph, while the exact missing dates are yet to be confirmed, it is understood that the Englishman will be absent at least until the international break, missing crucial games against Aston Villa and Southampton.

Furthermore, this injury comes as another blow for Enzo Maresca‘s, who are currently without a striker, as Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson will be sidelined until March and April, respectively. 

In their absence, the Italian boss placed Christopher Nkunku in the No nine position, yet the Frenchman failed to record a goal or assist in his last two games.

Chelsea face another injury setback as they currently lack a recognised striker, with Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson both unavailable

Following a series of disappointing defeats and the drop from the Champions League positions in the table, Maresca faced criticism over Chelsea’s three wins out of their last 11 in all competitions.

However, Chelsea director Jonathan Goldstein, in an interview with Bloomberg television, has publicly baked the Italian specialist.

He said: ‘He’s doing a great job. Chelsea started the season very well. 

‘The past six weeks have been, you know, finding their feet a little bit more. But Enzo has clearly done a great job in bringing the team together, bringing the talent through.’

When quizzed whether Maresca has his position secured for the rest of the current season, Goldstein said: ‘100 per cent.’