Chelsea dealt fresh injury blow as Enzo Fernandez withdraws from Argentina duty | OneFootball

Argentina have confirmed that Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has withdrawn from the national team due to a knee injury.

Fernandez is one of the 10 Chelsea players currently away on international duty, with Argentina having two friendly matches in the USA against Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

The midfielder started in Argentina's 1-0 win over Venezuela on Friday and stayed on the pitch for 78 minutes before being replaced by Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister.

The match against Puerto Rico is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14 local time, but the Argentine FA, AFA, have announced that Fernandez will not take part in it.

"Chelsea player Enzo Fernandez has been ruled out of the tour (in the USA) due to synovitis in his right knee," the official statement from the Argentine FA reads on X.

For now, it remains unclear how serious the inflammation in Fernandez's knee is, but it is possible that the former Benfica star will miss Chelsea's trip to Nottingham Forest next week.

Fernandez had been lucky with injuries prior to this, with his last significant injury absence being in May 2024, during which he missed six games for Chelsea after undergoing groin surgery.

His fresh injury could prove to be a big blow for Chelsea, considering how important he is to Enzo Maresca's plans.

Aside from Moises Caicedo, no Chelsea player has played more Premier League minutes than the Argentina international this season.

He is also leading the goalscoring charts at the club, alongside Caicedo, having already scored three goals this term.

In terms of possible replacements, Estevao and on-loan midfielder Facundo Buonanotte can both play as a number 10.

For the number eight role, Romeo Lavia, who recently returned from an injury himself, is likely the obvious choice, while Reece James has also been tasked with playing in midfield on a few occasions.