With a number of young Chelsea players currently battling a range of injuries, it’s time for a brief look into how the stricken lads are getting on in their fights back towards full fitness.
Centre-back Daniel Pappoe will miss out on captaining Adie Viveash’s team in their FA Youth Cup tie at home to Doncaster Rovers tomorrow night with a knee problem suffered away to Liverpool in late October.
He will however be a part of the squad on the night and should resume training before the new year. Also lining up in the 18-man party at Staines Town will be full-back Nortei Nortey, who has recovered from a second serious knee injury in the space of a year well ahead of schedule.
The Hammersmith-born first-year scholar suffered the blow in early August and was expected to be be out until well into 2012, but exceptional hard work and determination on his part has ensured an earlier return.
Fellow long-term knee problem victims Walter Figueira and Danny Stenning are still unfortunately a long way off being involved but they too are making strides towards full health.
Defender Alex Davey and midfielder Tom Howard, meanwhile, underwent scans on Monday after going off in the first half of Saturday’s Under-18 win over Portsmouth and will discover their fates later this week.
James Ashton remains absent with an unfortunate and apparently quite severe chest infection, but Reece Loudon and Anjur Osmanovic returned from absences to play in last week’s Under-17 friendly fixture against FC Togliatti.
At reserve level, Jacob Mellis has missed the last few weeks with a hamstring problem (despite playing against Norwich) but is due back in training this week, whilst Billy Clifford was fine to play against Ipswich Town this week after hobbling off last time out against Aston Villa.
Aziz Deen-Conteh was taken off in that friendly against Ipswich and there is no current indication as to the severity of his condition, but Josh McEachran completed 90 minutes and showed no signs of suffering from the foot injury acquired against Liverpool in the Carling Cup.