Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is reportedly hoping to return to action ahead of schedule after making encouraging progress in his recovery from a broken jaw, according to Sky Sports.
The Argentina international underwent surgery after suffering the injury during Chelsea’s visit to Everton earlier this month. Following the incident, he initially suggested that he would be “back in a few weeks”.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso also gave a similar indication regarding the goalkeeper’s expected recovery period last week.
However, Sky Sports News reporter James Savundra has disclosed that optimism is growing over Martinez’s chances of returning earlier than expected after he consulted a specialist about wearing a protective face mask.
Chelsea are scheduled to host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before travelling to Sunderland ahead of the forthcoming international break.
An early comeback for Martinez would provide a significant boost for Alonso, who has turned to 21-year-old Mike Penders to fill the gap left by the Argentine goalkeeper.
Penders, who has deputised for the former Aston Villa shot-stopper, endured a difficult first Premier League start against Tottenham last week, scoring an own goal.
Martinez became Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper immediately after completing his summer transfer from Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, the Blues could suffer another defensive setback following an injury to Maxence Lacroix, who picked up a hamstring problem during Wednesday’s trip to Anfield.
The defender was substituted before the half-time interval, further increasing Alonso’s injury concerns. However, the Chelsea manager said it was too early to establish the extent of the problem.
“It’s too early to tell how serious it is,” Alonso said.
“Unfortunately he felt something in his hamstring and we need a couple of days to check what the injury’s going to be.”
Chelsea are already without Joao Pedro, Reece James, Martinez, Pep Chavarria and Jamie Gittens, while Moises Caicedo and Malo Gusto have also experienced minor fitness concerns.
Despite the club’s injury difficulties, Morgan Rogers believes Chelsea demonstrated determination and resilience in their response to last weekend’s defeat to Tottenham, particularly through their performance against Liverpool at Anfield.
“To show that reaction shows we have players in the dressing room with character and fight – that’s all you can ask,” he said.
“Of course we will get better tactically and technically in terms of the way we want to play.
“We showed real fight after that loss and to put in a performance against a tough team, I’m proud of the boys and now we have to keep moving forward.”
