Worrying news for Chelsea as national federation confirms £18m man has suffered unspecified injury | OneFootball

Dario Essugo picked up an injury whilst on international duty for Portugal U21s in potentially worrying news for Chelsea.

Essugo joined Chelsea this summer in a deal worth £18m from Sporting Lisbon and made his debut at the Club World Cup.

The 20-year-old was signed to provide much needed cover and an alternative to Moises Caicedo, although Enzo Maresca has highlighted one area where Essugo needs to improve.

Dario Essugo picks up injury on international duty

Essugo has been an unused substitute in all three of Chelsea’s Premier League games so far, but did feature in pre-season games against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.

The Portuguese was called up to the Under-21 squad, and the international break is an opportunity for Essugo to get his first minutes of the season.

Essugo has yet to appear in the Premier League this season. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

However,  in worrying news for both Essugo and Chelsea it’s been confirmed the midfielder has suffered an unspecified injury.

A statement from the Portuguese Federation read:

“Joao Veloso was called up to the Under-21s to cover for Dario Essugo’s injury.”

In the absence of Essugo, Portugal cruised to a 5-0 win against Azerbaijan, with future Chelsea star Geovany Quenda getting on the scoresheet.

Up next is a game against Scotland on Tuesday, and it remains unclear if Essugo will feature in that game, but the Blues will be hoping it’s not a serious injury.

Moises Caicedo missed Ecuador’s game against Paraguay

Essugo isn’t the only Chelsea midfielder to miss a game during this international break, with Caicedo also missing Ecuador’s goalless draw with Paraguay.

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The 23-year-old was a surprise absentee from the game, but it was confirmed he missed out due to physical discomfort.

However, the expectation is he’ll be back for Ecuador’s next game against Argentina on Tuesday evening, but Chelsea will be keeping a close eye on Caicedo, and will have to manage him carefully given the amount of football he’s played.