Chelsea Striker Liam Delap Suffers Shoulder Injury in Draw with Bournemouth
Chelsea forward Liam Delap is facing another spell on the sidelines after sustaining a shoulder injury during Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Bournemouth. The incident occurred following a first-half set-piece, forcing the young striker to be substituted and leaving the Blues to assess the extent of the damage.
The injury is a setback for Delap, who recently returned from a hamstring issue that kept him out for ten matches this season. Manager Enzo maresca expressed his concern following the game,stating,”Unluckily he has already been out for two months and he has to be out again. We don’t know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder.” Maresca also acknowledged the team’s reliance on a player of Delap’s profile, adding, “He has been unlucky, we are also a bit unlucky because we need that kind of a No.9.”
Delap joined chelsea from Ipswich Town earlier this summer and quickly made an impact, providing an assist on his debut in the 2-0 Club World Cup victory over LAFC. He scored his first goal for the club against ES Tunis during the group stage of the tournament and played a role in six of Chelsea’s seven matches as they were crowned world champions, including a substitute appearance in the final against Paris Saint-germain.
prior to his initial hamstring injury sustained in the August 30th win against fulham, Delap featured in Chelsea’s first three Premier League games of the season. today’s match against Bournemouth marked his sixth appearance since recovering from that injury. The club will evaluate the shoulder injury over the next 48 hours to determine the length of his expected absence.
