Chelsea have been handed another potential injury blow after Malo Gusto limped off clutching his hamstring against Burnley on Saturday.
The young right-back has deputised frequently for club captain Reece James, who has been out since December, but picked up an issue of his own in their draw with the Clarets.
Gusto was already a doubt heading into the weekend, as he had pulled out of the France Under-21 squad with illness last week.
The 20-year-old was able to make a full recovery to start at Stamford Bridge, but had to be replaced by Alfie Gilchrist as Chelsea chased a winner in the final few minutes.
No goal would come for the Blues, as Mauricio Pochettino's side had to settle for a disappointing draw against the 10 men of Burnley.
Potential crisis at right-back facing Chelsea boss Pochettino
While results are a big concern for Chelsea's boss, he now could be without a senior right-back, should Gusto's issue keep him sidelined for any period of time.
That is because first-choice right-back James is unlikely to feature again this season, with Pochettino not confident that he will be able to call upon him before the campaign is out.
Both the manager and the physios are unsure about the timeframe of James's injury, but they are keen not to rush him back, given his recent record in that regard.
That could see fellow 20-year-old Gilchrist come into the side, or Pochettino may move Axel Disasi out into a wide position, but that did not have the desired effect when they lost 4-1 away to Liverpool in January.
Injury issues moutning at Stamford Bridge
Along with James, and a potential new issue for Gusto, Pochettino is facing an injury crisis ahead of a busy few weeks for the club.
Rearranged fixtures due to their commitments in both domestic cups means that Chelsea still have one league game in hand, as well as an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on April 20.
Chelsea will have to manage the workload with a depleted squad though, as the likes of James, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia are unlikely to feature for the rest of the season.
Levi Colwill is also currently on the sidelines, while Carney Chukwuemeka had to pull out of England youth duty with injury last week.
Christopher Nkunku's nightmare season continues as he has only made seven league appearances, while Ben Chilwell also missed the draw with Burnley after returning from the England senior setup with an injury. body check tags ::
