Chelsea have been dealt an injury scare after Jamie Gittens limped off during victory for England Under-21s on Friday night, The Standard reports.
Gittens, a summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund, started as the Young Lions maintained their 100 per cent record in the UEFA Championship qualification by beating the Republic of Ireland 2-0 in a fixture that was played in a torrential downpour at St Andrew’s.
However, the winger’s involvement came to an end just after the hour mark.
Gittens appeared to sustain the apparent injury after attempting to evade a tackle from Ireland left-back James McManus in the penalty area.
Clearly struggling, the 21-year-old headed straight down the tunnel upon being replaced just after the hour mark by Fulham attacking midfielder Joshua King.
It remains to be seen if the knock for Gittens is serious as England U21s are back in action next Tuesday when they face Slovakia knowing victory will see Lee Carsley’s side leapfrog the Group D leaders.
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Gittens, while not a regular starter at club level, has still made 14 appearances across all competitions so far this season, scoring once and providing three assists.
Chelsea have some huge games after the international break as they take on Burnley in the Premier League before back-to-back home matches against Barcelona and Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca has been short of options in attack recently, though will hope to welcome Cole Palmer back following a spell on the sidelines with a groin injury.
