Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that Malo Gusto’s muscle injury sustained against Fulham is “not a good one.”
Gusto came on at halftime, replacing Reece James after the Chelsea captain lost possession leading to Fulham’s opening goal. The French full-back played a crucial role in Chelsea’s 2-1 comeback win, but his night was cut short as he was forced off with a limp in the 89th minute, making way for Tosin Adarabioyo.
Maresca was quick to highlight Gusto’s recent impact, admitting that Chelsea are likely to be without the 20-year-old for some time due to the muscle injury.
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“Unfortunately, it’s not a good one, a muscle problem,” Maresca said. “You can see how important Malo is for us. Against Ipswich, he came on in the second half and changed the game, and today, again, he came on and changed the game. Unfortunately, it looks like a muscle injury.”
Maresca also addressed the decision to bring Gusto on in place of James, clarifying that it wasn’t a response to James’ first-half error leading to the goal. Instead, it was part of a long-term strategy to manage James’ fitness after years of dealing with serious muscle issues.
“I’m very happy because Reece played 90 minutes two days ago and then 45 minutes today,” Maresca explained. “For us as a team, it’s an important moment, because now we can think about him playing every three days, which is fantastic for us as he’s our captain and a key player.”
He continued, “The reason for the change wasn’t just because Reece lost the ball for their goal, it can happen. The change was part of our plan to keep him healthy.”
Chelsea’s victory keeps them firmly in the hunt for a Champions League spot. Maresca’s side currently sits in fifth place, but they could drop to seventh depending on results from Monday’s and Tuesday’s fixtures, with Nottingham Forest facing Tottenham and Aston Villa playing Manchester City.
