Chelsea's difficult start to the campaign has been compounded with Ben Chilwell reportedly out for a month due to a hamstring injury.
After a disastrous campaign last season that saw the Blues record their worst Premier League finish in nearly three decades, optimism was high this summer that the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino could help the club bounce back.
Once again however, despite significant investment from owner Todd Boehly, including the British record arrival of Moises Caicedo from Brighton, the Blues have floundered on the pitch; recording just one Premier League win thus far.
Pochettino's problems have only been exacerbated by the club's injury woes with Ben Chilwell the latest casualty.
The full-back was forced off during Chelsea's EFL Cup win over Brighton in midweek, and now looks set to join fellow academy graduate Reece James among the club's bloated injury list for an extended spell on the sidelines.
According to a report from the Evening Standard, Chilwell will definitely miss the club's visit to Fulham on Monday and their clash with Burnley next weekend.
The report adds that the England international being out for a month would be considered a good outcome given the severity of the injury.
In addition to Chilwell and James, the club also have several other top stars on their injury list including Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah.
However, Pochettino will be buoyed by the news that Carney Chukwuemeka has returned to full training with the first team, more than a month after being sidelined after picking up a knee injury in the club's defeat to West Ham.
Meanwhile summer signing Christopher Nkunku has offered a glimpse into his recovery process in a post on his Instagram
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