Chelsea fought their way to a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in their Premier League match before the November international break. But it looks like one of their regulars under Enzo Maresca, Wesley Fofana, will not be able to play any matches for France in the break.
Chelsea Confirm Wesley Fofana Withdrawal From France Duty
What Happened to Fofana?
The French centre-back played the full 90 minutes in the Blues draw against their London rivals on Sunday (November 10). He reported feeling pain after this game which has now stopped him from going on international duty.
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In their statement on this issue, Chelsea stated: “Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has withdrawn from the France squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel and Italy. The French Football Federation released a statement on Monday confirming the defender was ‘experiencing pain in his left knee’ following our draw with Arsenal at the weekend.”
The 23-year-old defender has quite the history of being tormented by nasty injuries in his career so far. He missed the entirety of the 2023/24 season for Chelsea because of a knee injury and missed 26 games for them in the season before that as well, which is probably why the French officials believed it would be for the best to let him withdraw from international commitments.
How Has Fofana Performed Under Enzo Maresca?
Fofana has recovered well from his awful injury problem from the previous campaign and become a regular in Enzo Maresca’s plans at Chelsea so far this season. He has played in 10 of their 11 Premier League matches so far into the campaign, helping them keep two clean sheets and producing some stellar performances against formidable opposition.
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The 23-year-old has formed a strong partnership with Levi Colwill and is keeping the likes of Wesley Fofana and summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo out of the starting lineup in league matches. He was hailed for his “fantastic” work by Maresca after Chelsea’s 3-0 win over West Ham United earlier this season. The Blues will hope that this injury scare doesn’t lead to a lengthy spell out of action for the centre-back and that he can fight his way to being available for matches after the international break.
