With summer signings Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner all missing out in recent Chelsea fixtures, Thomas Tuchel provided Football.London with an update on each player’s situation.
Chelsea maintained their 100 per cent start to life under Tuchel with a gritty 1-0 win away win at Barnsley in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The tie allowed the German to see some players in action, who had not yet been included or had very little involvement thus far.
The Blues took a rather depleted squad to Oakwell, with Silva, Havertz and Werner all missing out. It remains unseen how long the summer signing trio are expected to be sidelined for, but the situation looks better for the latter two.
Chelsea Injury News: Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner Updates
Chelsea Boss Tuchel Believes Thiago Silva is Making Slow Progress
The Brazilian’s injury came at a bad time for the club, and the individual himself, with Silva showing excellent form over the winter period. He is certainly a player that Tuchel does not want to rush back in, but will believe the squad will be boosted when he next available.
“He’s out,” Tuchel said. “He’s had a lot of treatment and I know Thiago very well from last years, we can be absolutely sure he is spending every minute available to speed up the process of healing, but it takes time.
“We cannot force, we cannot pull the grass to make it grow faster. It is like this with muscle injuries.”
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz Should Return Next Time Out
Kai Havertz was forced to miss Chelsea’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week, but he was expected to return for Sheffield United last weekend.
However, he was kept out of the squad for their visit to Sheffield, and he also missed out against Barnsley. Once again, he should feature against Newcastle United, but there is no certainty to it.
German international Timo Werner should also make a return against Newcastle. The forward missed the trip to Barnsley after picking up a knock at Sheffield United, but Tuchel believes he will be back as soon as possible.
He added: “It is still painful with contact so we didn’t risk it today and we will not risk it tomorrow (Barnsley).
“We could have risked it but the decision stands and it is hopefully now for him to recover and be back on Monday.”
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