Jesse Derry (foto: Getty Images)
Chelsea will travel to Liverpool without six wingers after Jesse Derry suffered a serious head injury during the defeat against Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea are facing a serious attacking crisis ahead of Saturday’s huge Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The Blues will reportedly be without six wingers for the trip to Anfield, leaving interim coach Calum McFarlane desperately short of attacking options.
The latest setback came during the 3:1 defeat against Nottingham Forest, when teenage winger Jesse Derry suffered a frightening head injury.
The young player was carried off on a stretcher after a serious collision during his first senior start for Chelsea.
McFarlane later confirmed the early medical signs were encouraging.
"I spoke to Jesse's dad the night it happened, I spoke to the family yesterday as well, and it's positive, it's really positive."
"As long as he's healthy and the way he's looking now is all that really matters."
The Chelsea coach also praised Derry’s performance before the injury.
"It was amazing for him to make his debut and I think he's shown in that first half his quality and what he can bring to this team."
Derry now joins an extraordinary injury list.
Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto are both still recovering from muscle injuries, while Jamie Gittens and Estevao have already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, Mykhailo Mudryk remains unavailable as he continues fighting a possible four-year suspension connected to an anti-doping investigation.
The situation leaves Chelsea without a single fully available senior winger despite the club spending more than £1 billion on transfers under the current ownership.
McFarlane is now expected to improvise heavily against Liverpool.
Joao Pedro could move into a wider attacking role to allow Liam Delap to start centrally, while Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez are likely to support the attack from deeper positions.
Chelsea could also turn toward academy talents for help from the bench.
Highly rated striker Shim Mheuka, 18, and exciting winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, 17, are both reportedly under consideration for senior involvement.
The injury problems do not stop there.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez will also miss the match after suffering his own head injury against Forest, meaning Filip Jorgensen is expected to start.
Despite the crisis, McFarlane insisted Chelsea still have enough quality to compete.
"We've still got a lot of players available that can impact football games."